Dosage


The final touch!
Dosage is the final touch added to the wine before corking. A mixture of cane sugar dissolved in wine, known as "liqueur de dosage", is added: approximately 1cl for a 75cl bottle for a Champagne brut. The quantity of liqueur used will depend on the type of Champagne we are making.
A Champagne doux contains more than 50 grams of sugar per litre, a Champagne demi-sec between 32 and 50 grams per litre, between 17 and 32 grams of sugar per litre for a Champagne sec, 12 and 17 for a Champagne extra dry and less than 12 grams per litre for a Champagne brut.
If there is less than 3 grams of sugar per litre of wine and no extra sugar is added, this is called a Champagne "brut nature". This stage can also play a role in developing the style of the Champagne depending on what we have in mind: if we want to keep as much of the wine’s personality and integrity as possible, a very neutral liqueur will be used. If, on the other hand, we want to elevate the wine with other aromas, a liqueur containing a reserve wine for example, a great Champagne wine set aside for long ageing, will be used.

Arrival at the pressing centre

Settling

Fermentation

Blending

Bottling and second fermentation

Maturation on lees

Riddling

Disgorgement

Dosage

Corking, shaking and final inspection

Labelling
