Champagnes & Sparkling Wines

The world of sparkling wines is organised in a straightforward way: everything depends on the level of residual sugar. After fermentation, the addition of a dosage liqueur determines the final style and what you will find in the glass.

At the driest end of the scale, Brut Nature (≤ 3 g/L) requires little to no dosage. It is the purest style, where the grape and the terroir take centre stage. It is characterised by vibrant acidity, minerality and tension. Extra Brut (≤ 6 g/L) preserves this dryness with slightly greater softness, remaining elegant and precise. Brut (≤ 12 g/L) is the most popular style worldwide — dry, yet with a subtle touch that makes it versatile and approachable. It is the benchmark for Champagne and most premium sparkling wines.

From this point onwards, the terminology can be misleading. Extra Dry (12–17 g/L) is, in practice, sweeter than Brut — lightly fruity, it is the typical style of Prosecco and a good introduction for those discovering sparkling wine. Dry (17–32 g/L) is already noticeably sweet, with ripe fruit and a fuller body, and is less common among modern sparkling wines. Semi-Dry (32–50 g/L) is distinctly sweet, well suited to light desserts or fresh cheeses. Finally, Sweet, or Doux (> 50 g/L), is today a rarity — it was the preferred style of European courts in the 19th century and represents an experience of its own, closer to a liquid dessert.

Understanding this scale is the first step towards choosing with confidence and recognising, label by label, what each bottle has to offer.