These phrases originated with Champagne and describe the sweetness of the sparkling wine, from very dry to much sweeter. When a sparkling wine is disgorged, the winemaker will top up the bottle with some more wine. Also, in many cases, a bit of sugar is added as well. This means the winemaker can control very precisely how sweet the final sparkling wine is.
Today, most English Sparkling wines are ‘Brut’, which means ‘dry’. Brut wines do have some sugar added, typically up to 12g/l, but this is normally not enough to make the wine taste ‘sweet’. Below ‘Brut’ is ‘Extra Brut’, which means less sugar still has been added. Finally, ‘Brut Nature’ which mean little or no sugar at all has been added to the wine. While Brut Nature wines are especially good for those who like that distinctive English acidity and ‘tang’, many of the best examples also have delicious white fruit notes on the palate. It can be easy to forget the wine has no sugar added! One outstanding example of this style of winemaking is the Sugru South Downs ‘Zodo’.
Getting sweeter
Above ‘Brut’, the next category is ‘Extra Sec, which indicates a little more sweetness than your classic ‘Brut’ sparkler. While this is not a particularly common category, there are a few examples, such as Balfour Hush Heath’s ‘Leslie’s Gold’. This wine has a dosage of 16g/l, giving it a lovely lift, and making it a great pairing with canapes or a luxurious afternoon tea.
The sweetest English Sparkling Wines you’ll see are ‘Demi-Sec’, which indicates a moderately sweet wine. While again there are relatively few examples of this amongst English sparkling wine, there are some great bottles, such as Nyetimber’s ‘Cuvèe Cherie’, or Raimes Demi-Sec. These wines can be lovely aperitifs, but also go very well with sweeter dishes, such as apple pie. There are no really sweet English Sparkling Wines, which is true of all sparkling wine regions these days. If you want a truly sweet wine, explore here. Otherwise, enjoy the range of sweetness options that Grape Britannia offers!
