dosage [doh-SAHJ]

from

A syrupy mixture of sugar and wine (and sometimes BRANDY and/or citric acid) that’s added to CHAMPAGNE and other SPARKLING WINE. A dosage is used in a couple of ways. A bottling dosage (dosage de tirage or liqueur de tirage) plus yeast is added to a CUVÉE (a blend of still wines) in order to cause a SECONDARY FERMENTATION in the bottle. A shipping dosage (dosage d’expédition or liqueur d’expédition)—usually sugar plus some of the same wine that’s been reserved for this purpose—is added to a wine immediately prior to final bottling to increase its level of sweetness. The percentage of sugar in the shipping dosage determines the degree of sweetness in the final wine. Depending on this level of sweetness, sparkling wines are described as BRUT, EXTRA DRY or EXTRA-SEC, SEC, DEMI-SEC, or DOUX. See also MÉTHODE CHAMPENOISE.