Sparkling Dosage
Sparkling Wine Just After Dosage
The dosage is a small amount of sugar syrup added to the wine just before inserting the cork. This mixture of the base wine and sugar is called the ‘liqueur de dosage’ or ‘liqueur d’expédition’ in French.
Why a Sparkling Dosage?
It is added for two reasons. The first is to top up the bottle to replace the liquid lost during disgorgement (when the dead yeast cells are propelled from the bottle by the pressure of the carbon dioxide as the crown cap is removed). The second reason is to achieve the desired balance in the sparkling wine.
How Much Sugar is Added in the Dosage?
It depends. The winemaker conducts a dosage trial to determine the level of sweetness needed to achieve the perfect balance of acidity, flavors, and mouthfeel in the wine. Think of the dosage like seasoning a finished dish to bring out just the right flavors. The winemaker is also aiming for a certain style of wine ranging from bone dry to quite sweet.
The sweetness is measured by the number of grams per liter of sugar added. Here are the various sweetness designations for Champagne and sparkling wine:
Doux - more than 50 grams of sugar per liter
Demi-sec - 32-50 grams of sugar per liter
Sec - 17-32 grams of sugar per liter
Extra dry - 12-17 grams of sugar per liter
Brut - less than 12 grams of sugar per liter
Extra brut - 0-6 grams of sugar per liter
Brut nature – 0-3 grams of sugar per liter
Glasses of Sparkling Wine for a Dosage Trial
What is a Sparkling Dosage Trial?
The winemaker and others who are part of the trial, taste the sparkling wine at a range of sweetness levels to determine the exact amount of dosage needed to bring out the beauty of the wine. Every year conditions in the vineyard result in slightly different flavors and textures, so the dosage required to achieve the optimal balance may vary from year to year.
What Levels of Sweetness Are Tasted in a Trial?
Typically, there are five or six different levels of sweetness tasted in the trial. They rarely cover the entire range of sweetness levels because the winemaker already knows the style they prefer and the range of sweetness levels that might be needed to balance the specific sparkling wine they are trialing.
They may taste a range in only the first two or three categories, for example Brut Nature to Brut or perhaps only in the Brut range. The samples in each glass may vary by only 2 grams per liter from each other. Surprisingly, a very small difference in the level of sweetness can have a significant impact on the taste of the wine. As with all tastings done by professionals, sparkling dosage trials involve considering aromas, taste and mouthfeel.
Still Thirsty?
If you want to learn more, here is a curated list of articles about the dosage in sparkling wine.