🍷 Liqueur d'expédition
A mix of wine and sugar used to top up the bottle after disgorging.
Liqueur d'expédition is a mix of wine and sugar. It is added to a bottle of sparkling wine at the very end, after disgorgement.
Disgorgement removes the yeast sediment left after the second fermentation in the bottle. Some wine is lost with it, so the bottle must be topped up. That is what the liqueur is for. The method is best known from Champagne and other bottle-fermented sparkling wines, including those from French regions. Rules for it are described by bodies such as the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) and the Champagne producers' committee.
The amount of sugar in the liqueur sets the final sweetness of the sparkling wine, from very dry to sweet. The step of adding it is called dosage. Each house has its own recipe, and exact proportions are usually not published. Most sparkling wines receive this liqueur just before the final cork is fitted and wired down.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Liqueur d'expédition → → → 🗺️ French wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Dosage
- Related to
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Dosage
Frequently asked questions
What is liqueur d'expédition?
It is a mix of wine and sugar used to top up a sparkling wine bottle after the sediment is removed.
Why is it used?
It replaces the lost volume and sets the final sweetness of the wine.
How is it different from dosage?
Dosage is the step of adding it; the liqueur is what is added.
Similar
🍷 Disgorgement · 🍷 Pupitre · 🍷 Cryoextraction · 🍷 Tirage · 🍷 Gyropalette · 🍷 Reserve wine