doux

French · sweet

Doux is the EU sweetness term for sparkling wine with a sugar content above 50 g/L, the sweetest band on the scale.1

Equivalents

The EU lists mild, dolce, sweet, dulce and doce as the same category.1 The OIV also sets its "sweet" band above 50 g/L.2

In practice

The Italian form dolce is the sweetness of Moscato d'Asti.3 A crémant, by contrast, must stay under 50 g/L of sugar.4 Below doux on the scale is demi-sec (32-50 g/L).1

Where the sugar comes from

After disgorgement the wine receives the liqueur d'expédition, cane sugar dissolved in wine; UMC gives 0 to 5-6 cl per bottle.5,6 Its amount decides which sweetness term the label may carry.

See also

The sugar scale of sparkling wineDosageSweet sparkling: demi-sec and douxStylesdemi-secGlossarydolceGlossarydulceGlossaryMoscato d'AstiStyles

Sources

  1. legislation.gov.uk (copy of EU OJ text). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Annex III Part A (sugar-content terms for sparkling wines), original version as adopted (2018-10-17)
  2. OIV International Code of Oenological Practices, I.4.4 Sparkling wines
  3. Regione Piemonte. Disciplinare di produzione DOCG Asti (2025-01)
  4. legislation.gov.uk (copy of EU OJ text). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Article 53 (terms referring to certain production methods), original version as adopted (2018-10-17)
  5. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Dosage
  6. Comité Champagne (champagne.education). Fiche Élaboration du Champagne (FR) (2024-05)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19