Here's How Much Sugar Is In Brut Vs Dry Vs Sweet Champagne

Viticulture sits vibrantly at the intersection of science and art, and few sippers embody this elegance like a glass of bubbly. Even a cheap Champagne still feels fancy. If you've ever scanned the spirits aisle and wondered (thirstily) what the difference is between brut, dry, and sweet Champagnes, you aren't alone. During the final stage of the highly-controlled production process, Champagne houses add sugar or sugared wine — the dosage — to balance the natural acidity that emerges in the batch during fermentation. 

Certain types of grapes pack more natural acidity and therefore require a larger dosage (aka the liqueur d'expedition) to balance. It is the size of this sweetener dosage that ultimately determines whether a finished, bottled Champagne belongs to the brut, dry, or sweet category. Dosage refers exclusively to the level of sweetness and does not impact potency; Champagne typically packs between 12% and 12.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) regardless of its added sugar level. Brut Champagne, the most popular category of dry sparkling wine, contains zero to 12 grams per liter of residual sugar. 

Residual sugar refers to the added, unfermented sugar in the dosage. Within the brut sector is the subcategory extra brut, a far drier zero to 6 grams per liter of residual sugar. Brut Champagnes are the driest category, and tend to be high in both acidity and carbonation. Brut Champagnes also have milder, more understated tasting notes than dry or sweet varieties, making them wildly versatile for food pairings. Brut Champagne and oysters is on our list of classic wine and food pairings you have to try, and it's also our favorite type of Champagne for making well-balanced mimosas.

Don't get it twisted — even though "brut" is the French word for "dry," in the world of Champagne, dry is a distinct category from brut. Dry Champagne contains 17 to 32 grams of residual sugar per liter. Within this category also lies extra dry Champagne, which contains 12 to 17 grams of residual sugar per liter. To clarify, extra dry Champagne is sweeter than brut Champagne.  Dry Champagnes tend to have a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel and more pronounced tasting notes compared to brut Champagnes. 

Those delicate nutty, fruity flavors get somewhat lost in both the brut and sweet varieties, giving dry Champagne the boldest "Champagne taste" of the lot. It's our favorite pick for crafting a French 75 cocktail with personality. When you spot the word "sweet" on a label, you're most likely drinking a demi-sec (aka "half-dry"). Demi-secs are the most popular variety within the sweet Champagne category, clocking in at 32 to 50 grams of residual sugar per liter. 

The sweetest Champagne class of all is doux, which refers to anything over 50 grams of residual sugar per liter. They often catch a bad rap, but it would be a mistake to write sweet Champagnes off as one-note or unimpressive. Sweet varieties can carry dimensional aromatic tones of florals, almond, or brown butter, and they provide mature contrast to high-fat meats and cheeses like rich foie gras and funky sheeps' milk Roquefort.