Champagne?

Question

What should I look for on the label if I want a sweet champagne or sparkling wine?

Answer 1

For real Champagne, i.e. from Champagne in France, the level of sweetness is indicated by various terms.

The sweetest one is Doux
The next sweetest is Demi-Sec
and Sec is the next sweetest -- -- this is very confusing since Sec means 'dry' in the French language, and a Sec Champagne is no-where near dry, in fact there are a further three classifications to totally dry (Extra Dry, Brut and Brut Nature).

Sweetness in a wine is measured as Residual Sugar (RS) in grams per Liter.

Doux has more than 50 grams/liter, Demi-Sec has 33-50 grams/litre and Sec has 17-35 g/L.

Note that a 'dry' wine would usually have fewer than 2 g/L. Note also that there is an overlap in the ranges. One particular brand's Demi-Sec could be sweeter than another brands Sec.

For non Champagne sparkling wines, most use the same terms, or their English equivalent.

Someone suggested Prosecco. I love Prosecco, but there differring degrees of sweetness in Prosecco, and the most popular in Italy is Brut, i.e. they are dry. (And the only similarity that Prosecco has with Champagne is they are both sparkling wines - Prosecco is not made by the Champagne method and is made from entirely different grapes)

Answer 2

Try a Prosecco, it's a lighter but equally delicious version of champagne. Be sure to slice some strawberries and dip them in!

Answer 3

look for words like Sec (medium sweet), Demi-Sec (sweet) and Doux (very sweet). Demi-Sec and Doux are mostly considered dessert wines.

Sweeter styles should have the residual sugar listed on the label and should be 1.7% residual sugar or higher.

Answer 4

I agree with db and ole man, especially the fresh strawberies, maybe a few smoked oyesters with a little hot sauce!

Answer 5

db is right, try sergio prosecco,very nice,easy drinker