Dosage, the addition of sugar (from cane, beet, or grape) and wine after disgorgement, plays a key role in shaping the final character of sparkling wines. This process, involving the addition of liqueur d’expédition, occurs after the removal of yeast lees following the second fermentation in the bottle.
Most sparkling wines produced using the traditional method, such as Champagne, Cava, Franciacorta, Trentodoc, English sparkling wines, and other quality sparkling wines worldwide, are typically labeled as either “extra brut” (with sugar content between 0 and 6g/L) or “brut” (with sugar levels ranging from 0 to 12g/L).
Historically, Champagne was much sweeter than it is today. In the 1880s, French chemist Edme-Jules Maumené documented Champagne shipments to Russia that had up to 300g/L of sugar, making them three times as sweet as Coca-Cola by modern standards. Today, however, sugar in sparkling wine is often viewed with caution, as winemakers aim to avoid drawing attention to its use, despite the fact that a bottle of extra brut Champagne at 5g/L contains less sugar than a typical serving of apple juice.
While sugar levels can provide some indication of a wine’s sweetness, they don’t always tell the full story. The complex interaction between sugar, acidity, astringency, alcohol, body, and aroma can create surprising sensations of sweetness or dryness. Champagne Henriot’s cellarmaster, Alice Tétienne, describes the complexity of dosage decisions during trials for the house’s prestige cuvée, Hemera 2013, released in June. Despite expectations that a fresher wine with high acidity would need more sugar, Tétienne found that, in some cases, sugar accentuates the acidity.
In fact, the Hemera 2013, from a cooler, high-acid vintage, has a lower dosage than the 2006, a warmer year with lower acidity. Tétienne explains that dosage can have unpredictable effects, sometimes making a wine feel more closed or more open, and that each wine responds differently to the process. This unpredictability is part of what makes dosage such a delicate balancing act for winemakers.
Further complicating matters is the concept of residual sugar (RS). Even in sparkling wines with zero dosage (no sugar added), small amounts of residual sugar, usually less than 1g/L but sometimes more, can remain after the fermentation process. These sugars, which yeasts cannot fully ferment into alcohol, play a role in the wine’s overall flavor profile.
Research by wine scientist Hannah May Charnock suggests that residual sugars could have a significant impact on the development of toasty, caramelized flavors in sparkling wines through a chemical process called the Maillard reaction. Rather than being an unwanted byproduct, residual sugars can contribute to the complexity and depth of a fine Champagne or sparkling wine.
Francis Egly of Champagne Egly-Ouriet compares dosage to a pinch of salt: it should neither be noticeable nor absent. In Champagne today, many of the finest wines achieve a harmonious balance with minimal sugar, with winemakers favoring subtlety over sweetness. The ongoing trend of “skinny” sparkling wines, which minimize sugar, often ignores the fact that alcohol content in a 14.5% red wine is 16% higher than in a 12.5% sparkling wine.
In the end, a small amount of sugar in sparkling wines may be a worthwhile tradeoff for a lighter, more balanced experience. After all, as the world of wine continues to evolve, a tiny dose of sweetness can help fine-tune the final product to perfection.
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