Dosage and liqueur d’expédition

Step 12 · setting the sweetness

After disgorgement the bottle is topped up with liqueur d'expédition, usually cane sugar dissolved in wine, and the amount sets the sweetness term on the label.1,2,3 EU law limits the alcohol this liqueur may add to 0.5% vol.4

The liqueur

EU law defines expedition liqueur as the product added to sparkling wine to give it special taste qualities. It may contain sucrose, grape must, concentrated or rectified concentrated grape must, wine and, optionally, wine distillate.4 In practice in Champagne it is cane sugar dissolved in wine; the UMC adds that the wine used is reserve wine at least two years old.1,2 For a brut about 1 cl of liqueur goes into a 75 cl bottle.1

Limits

  • EU: the liqueur may raise the actual alcoholic strength by no more than 0.5% vol.4
  • Champagne: the liqueur may not increase the wine's volume beyond a percentage given by the formula V(%) = 1.266 × A + 0.0666 × S (INAO draft under national opposition).5

Sweetness on the label

The sugar content after dosage decides the EU term: brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra dry, dry, demi-sec or doux.3 The label may differ from the real sugar content by no more than 3 g/l.3 The full table is on the sugar scale and label terms in EU law.

Zero dosage

Without dosage the space left by disgorgement is filled with the same wine; such wines may be labelled, for example, "Zero Dosage".2 Brut nature is only allowed when no sugar was added after the secondary fermentation.3 See brut nature and zero dosage.

Previous step: disgorgement. Next: cork and wire cage.

See also

The sugar scale of sparkling wineDosageBrut nature (zero dosage)StylesDisgorgementMethodsCork and wire cageMethodsLabel terms in EU lawMethodsSweet sparkling: demi-sec and douxStyles

Sources

  1. Comité Champagne (champagne.fr). Dosage
  2. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Dosage
  3. EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)
  4. legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives). Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934, Annex II (sparkling wine oenological practices), as reproduced on legislation.gov.uk (2019-03-12)
  5. Cahier des charges de l'AOP « Champagne » - modifications approved by the INAO national committee on 11 September 2024 (national opposition procedure text) (2024-09-11)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19