Still wines are most commonly divided into two camps: dry and sweet. Sure, there’s some confusion regarding sugar-to-acid ratios and what constitutes “sweet” rather than “aromatic,” but overall, descriptors for still wine are fairly straightforward.
Bubbles, on the other hand, have a far more complex classification system. There are seven standard sweetness categories for sparkling wines: brut nature or brut zero, extra brut, brut, extra dry, sec, demi sec and doux. Each class denotes subtle differences in aromas and flavor.
These varying sweetness levels come from the dosage or liqueur d’expedition, a mix of sugar and wine. This liquid is used to top off Champagne and other traditional method sparklers after riddling, when winemakers disgorge the lees (dead yeast cells) from the neck of the bottle.
The dosage mix can contain anywhere between 500 and 700 grams of sugar per liter, although just a teaspoon or so ends up in the bottle. The precise ratio of sweetener-to-wine varies according to the producer, region and desired outcome, among other factors.
Some producers use a sweeter liqueur d’expedition, while others choose not to sweeten their wines at all. Many of the driest sparkling wines, sometimes labeled “zero dosage,” contain no dosage at all, using an identical wine to fill up the empty space in the bottle after disgorgement.
