How To Interpret The Sweetness Levels of Sparkling Wine

The sweetness levels of bubbly wine vary from type to type, but before we go into that, let's go over what sparkling wine is.

What Are Sparkling Wines?

It is important to understand that there are many types of bubbly wine available. There are many examples, but for the sake of briefness, we shall only consider four, including Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and sparkling wine.

1.Champagne

Champagne is a bubbly wine made in the region of Champagne, France.  For it to be called champagne, it must come from this region and adhere to strict protocols.

Champagne is made with three grapes:  chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Making it is a lengthy process; the bubbles come from the second fermentation.

2.CAVA

Cava is a sparkling wine from Spain and is often made like champagne. The biggest difference is the type of grapes they use. Cava is usually made with grapes more common to the area: Macabeo, parellada, and xarel-lo.

3.PROSECCO

Prosecco is manufactured in Italy and is made using the primary grape, glera. It is made in a tank and goes through a second fermentation while in a big tank, so it takes a lot less time, unlike champagne, where the second fermentation happens in the bottle.

4.SPARKLING WINE

Sparkling wine is any bubbly wine that is made outside any of those areas mentioned above. Most of the time, sparkling wine is made using the same grapes and the same method as champagne, but not always. Because there are less strict regulations, winemakers get a little more creative.

SPARKLING WINE SWEETNESS TERMS

Below are some of the verbiage you'll find on bottles of sparkling wines:

• Sweet/Doux/Dolce
• Semi-dry/Demi-SEC/SEMI-SECO
• Dry
• Extra dry
• Brut
• Extra brut
• Brut nature

Words like ‘brut’ and ‘extra dry’ refer to the level of sweetness for that particular bottle of bubbly.

For people who are not a fan of very sweet drinks, it's best to choose a bottle of brut, extra brut, or brut nature.  You may also pick up a bottle of extra dry if that's your fancy.

Once you identify how sweet you like your bubbly, you’ll be able to choose bottles based on their verbiage. Some other factors may influence how much you like that particular bottle, but this will make sure you're not completely lost when deciding.