Dosage is a mixture of pure cane sugar and wine that is added to champagne to balance its acidity or to impart some level of sweetness. Also known as “liqueur d’expédition”, it is prepared months in advance using reserve wines of at least two years of age, and then added to the bottles at the final stage of the wine making process. This step determines the final style of the champagne being produced and fills up the empty space created in the bottle after it has been filtered.
For the driest style, known as Brut Nature, the dosage is made only of wine without any added sugar. The final champagne must have less than 3 grams per liter (g/l) of residual sugar. Extra Brut has less than 6 g/l and Brut, the most popular style, has less than 12 g/l. The other styles are Extra Dry (12-17 g/l), Sec (17-32 g/l), Demi Sec (32-50g/l), and Doux, which has more than 50 grams of sugar per liter. The world of Champagne has a style for every palate!
Author: Maytte Rivera
