Pas dosé
The sweetening of sparkling wines is an important part in the production process. Sparkling wines range from bone dry (pas dosé) to very sweet. The translation of pas dosé from French to English means no dosage / without dosage. In our words: “Sekt unplugged.” See also Brut Nature, Zero Dosage, Dosage Zéro.
Dosage translates as the added sugar in a final sparkling wine. So sans dosage or pas dosé quite literally means no added sugar. This results in a pure and dry tasting experience. Many people will prefer this style of sparkling wine where a better understanding of and an honest terroir expression is shared.
Before the sekt bottle is finally sealed with a sekt cork after disgorgement, the liquid loss caused by the disgorgement process must be compensated by filling it with the dosage. The dosage not only imparts a distinctive note to the sekt but also determines its taste profile, ranging – as said – from Brut Nature to sweet (e.g., Semi-Dry). The dosage liqueur added to the sekt is the secret of every Sekthaus. The approximate amount of dosage and therefore the level of sweetness can be determined from the taste description on the label. The designations differ significantly from those used for still wines. For example, a dry wine can have up to 9 g/L of sugar, while a dry champagne has 17 to 33 g/L of sugar.
The sekt in our house has a maximum sweetness of 8 g/L, making them Brut Nature, Extra Brut, or Brut.
Brut Nature is also alternatively described as “Zero Dosage.” In this case, we deny sweetening the final sparkling wine and instead top it up with the exact same sparkling wine from another bottle.
- Brut Nature / Zero Dosage / Dosage Zéro / Pas dosé: 0 to 3 g/L
- Extra Brut: 0 to 6 g/L
- Brut: 0 to 12 g/L
- Extra Dry: 12 to 17 g/L
- Dry / Sec: 17 to 33 g/L
- Medium Dry / Demi-Sec: 33 to 50 g/L
Back to Glossary