🍷 Doux
The sweetest sparkling wine.
Doux is the French word for 'sweet'. In sparkling wine it is the sweetest level: such a bottle has more than 50 g/l of sugar.
The sweetness of a sparkling wine is set by the dosage. After disgorgement a little wine with sugar is added to the bottle, and the amount of sugar decides the label term. The scale runs from brut nature, with almost no sugar, through brut, extra dry and sec to demi-sec (32–50 g/l) and finally doux.
Other languages have matching words: Italian dolce, Spanish dulce, German mild. Doux sparkling wines are rare today, but in the 19th century very sweet Champagne was common.
Sweet sparkling wines are made in France, Italy and Spain. A similarly sweet example is Asti, but its sweetness comes from the grapes, not from dosage. Next to doux on the scale stands demi-sec.
How it connects to Wine
🍷 Doux → made in → 🗺️ French wine → kind of → 🗺️ Wines of Europe → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Dosage
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine, 🗺️ Italian wine, 🗺️ Spanish wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Demi-sec, 🍷 Asti, 🍾 Veuve Clicquot Rich, 🍾 Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé
Frequently asked questions
What does doux mean on a champagne label?
It is the sweetest sparkling style, with more than 50 g/l of sugar.
Is it true that very sweet champagne never existed?
No. Doux is rare today, but in the 19th century very sweet Champagne was common.
Is Asti a doux?
Not quite. Asti is similarly sweet, but its sweetness comes from the grapes, not from dosage.
Guides
What to read next
- 🗺️ Italian wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grape varieties, appellations.
- 🍾 Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé — Veuve Clicquot Rich Rosé: a non-vintage rosé Champagne (Doux) from Veuve Clicquot. Pinot Noir 50 %, Meunier 30 %, Chardonnay 20 % (according to the house).
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🗺️ Spanish wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 🍾 Veuve Clicquot Rich — Veuve Clicquot Rich: a non-vintage white Champagne (Doux) from Veuve Clicquot. Pinot Noir 50 %, Meunier 30 %, Chardonnay 20 % (according to the house).
Similar
🍷 Sec · 🍷 Extra dry · 🍷 Demi-sec · 🍷 Brut nature · 🍷 Extra brut · 🍷 Brut
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.