How Sweet Is Your Sparkling Wine? Sugar Terms Explained

Sugar in Sparkling Wine

After a sparkling wine is made, it receives a small cocktail called “Liqueur d’Expedition.” It is a dose of wine + sugar, which determines the final sweetness level of the sparkling wine. “Brut Nature” wines receive very little, or no sugar in the final dose, which makes the final wine extremely dry. On the contrary, “Doux” wines get a hefty dose of sugar at the end. The most common sugar level in sparkling wine is “Brut,” which has around 0-12 grams of sugar/L.

Sugar Terms on Wine Bottle Labels

How well do you know sweetness terms on sparkling wine labels? There are a couple ways to know whether or not the wine you’re buying is sweet. You can look for specific terms that will give it away. Or you can look at the ABV listed on the wine. If it says 10%, 8%, or 6%, for example, that’s a dead giveaway you’re getting a sweet bottle!

Here are the other terms you may see! The terms are expressed differently in various countries.