If you don’t know how to choose the sparkling wine for your next celebration, here we tell you about its different classifications, based on their sugar level. 

We’re about to say goodbye to the year and welcome a new one. Ritualizing the end of a cycle with different actions is a tradition that is lived all over the world, and although everyone has their own routines on this regard, it seems that there is a consensus on which is the most important drink on these dates: sparkling wine.

As a general fact, you must know that winemakers add “Liqueur d’expedition” – a highly concentrated mixture of wine and sugar- to sparkling wines to dictate their level of sweetness and the name of the wine. 

Brut Nature

These sparkling wines have less than 3 grams of sugar per litre of wine. It is the driest style of sparkling wine and it doesn’t contain liqueur d’expedition. It only contains the residual sugar from the wine, which is almost imperceptible. That’s why these are very fresh, clean, direct wines, with a sharp acidity. They work very well when paired with very simple fish recipes or shellfish such as oysters. Have you tried them? Subercaseaux Grande Cuvée has only 1.84g/l, ideal to uncork on summer days thanks to its complex palate, with good acidity, texture and a long, fresh finish.

Extra Brut

These wines can have up to 6 grams of sugar per litre of wine. Its sweetness is quite mild so they are excellent dry and citrus wines to stimulate the appetite or accompany a meal based on various savoury appetizers or snacks.

Brut

This is the most consumed type of sparkling wine worldwide, and has a sugar level of between 6 and 12 grams per litre with a difficult to perceive sweetness. It is a style that has more volume on the palate and is so popular that almost 95% of sparkling wines are Brut. Match them with salty foods.

Demi sec

With a notable sugar concentration of 21 to 50 grams per litre, the sweetness of Demi Sec sparkling wines is quite perceptible. Depending on the variety, its acidity levels could balance the sugar on the palate. For this reason, they are quite versatile wines when it comes to bringing them to the table, as they work well both with desserts and salty/creamy dishes. Try them with a caprese salad or a seasonal fruit tartlet.

Doux

For sweet wines lovers, this is the perfect sparkling, due to its high sugar concentration that exceeds 50 grams per litre. These wines are especially good to pair with desserts.