🍷 Sec
A sparkling wine with noticeable sweetness; by dosage it is medium-dry.
Sec (French for “dry”) is a sweetness term on the label of sparkling wine. The paradox is that “dry” here does not mean dry but off-dry: the wine is noticeably sweet. The sugar content of sec is 17 to 32 grams per litre.
Sweetness is set by the dosage. Dosage is the addition of sugar to the wine at the last stage of sparkling wine production, when the bottle is closed again. By sugar content, wines are divided into steps from driest to sweetest. Extra brut has almost no sugar, brut is dry, extra dry is slightly sweeter, sec is sweeter still, and demi-sec sweeter again.
This scale is used in France, Italy and many countries. But the words on the label are confusing: “extra dry” is sweeter than “brut”. So it is better to look at the numbers when they are given.
Sec suits light desserts, fruit and mildly sweet dishes. It is closer to demi-sec and extra dry. Alcohol is for adults.
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Dosage
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine, 🗺️ Italian wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Extra dry, 🍷 Demi-sec
Frequently asked questions
What does sec mean on a bottle of sparkling wine?
An off-dry sparkling wine, with 17 to 32 grams of sugar per litre.
Is sec a dry wine?
No. Although “sec” means dry, on the dosage scale it is noticeably sweet.
How is sec different from brut?
Sec is sweeter, while brut is nearly dry.
Similar
🍷 Doux · 🍷 Brut · 🍷 Brut nature · 🍷 Extra brut · 🍷 Extra dry · 🍷 Demi-sec
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- Wikipedia (en)
- EU Delegated Regulation 2019/33 (labelling, sugar terms)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Wine