Sparkling Wine: How Sweet or Dry is Your Favorite?
How sweet or dry is sparkling wine?
Time to celebrate and break out the bubbly? But wait! You don't know your brut from your demi-sec? You're just planning to drink as much as possible?
The labels on a bottle of sparkling wine will let you know whether you are getting a dry wine, a very sweet wine or something tasty in-between.
Below is a list of the sweetness range for sparkling wines to help you decide if you want to go very sweet or very dry.
Look for these labels the next time you shop:
But first - a definition - Sparkling wine is wine with a significant amount of carbon dioxide which makes it fizzy and bubbly. Carbon dioxide may come about as a result of the natural fermentation process in the bottle, in a large tank, or it may be injected. Sparkling wine is most often white or rose. There are, however, some reds.
The classic example of a fine sparkling wine is Champagne, from the Champagne wine region in France.
Sparkling wines ranging from the sweetest to the driest:
Sweet or Demi-sec - If the label reads Sweet or Demi-sec, they both mean the same thing. This sweet sparkling wine is made from grapes that contain the most sugar. Recommended as a dessert wine, the demi-sec goes well with lightly sweet desserts like berries or pound cake.
Dry or Sec - These sparkling wine labels also mean the same thing. "Sec" means "dry" in French. This type of dry sparkling wine is often recommended for mixing and making cocktails.
Extra Dry - Sparkling wines labeled Extra Dry are just a bit sweeter than wines labeled Brut. This extra dry sparkling wine works well as an aperitif and is often enjoyed when served with light appetizers.
Brut - The most popular sparkling wine, the Brut label means there is little or no sweetness. This sparkling wine goes well with most foods.
Extra Brut - An Extra Brut label means the sparkling wine is even drier than Brut.
Enjoy!
For more beverage ideas, such as beer made with tea, and information about boxed wines, see the links below:
Wine and Beer Ideas
- Boxed Wines: 7 to Try
Thinking about trying boxed wine? The choices are vast from white - Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Riesling, to red - Cabernet Sauvignon, Concord and Merlot. Labels are from many known wine producing countries... - The New Beer - Made With Tea
It had to happen of course. Beer has nutritional value and so does tea. We've long had beer brewed with coffee, so why not with tea. There are several such beers with tea on the market now (see list below). ...
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