sec

French · dry

Sec is the EU sweetness term for sparkling wine with a sugar content between 17 and 32 g/L.1

Place on the scale

The word means "dry", but sec sits in the middle of the scale. Drier wines are labelled extra dry (12-17 g/L) or brut (under 12 g/L); sweeter ones demi-sec (32-50 g/L).1

Other languages

The EU lists equivalent terms: trocken, secco, asciutto, dry, seco.1 The sugar actually measured may differ from the labelled term by no more than 3 g/L (sugar tolerance).2 The sweetness category is set by the dosage. Full table: the sugar scale.

See also

The sugar scale of sparkling wineDosageextra dryGlossarydemi-secGlossarybrutGlossarysugar toleranceGlossaryDosageGlossary

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. EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19