II.4.1.4 Dosage

Definition :

Liqueur that can be added to sparkling wine immediately before final closure of the bottle and which comprises wine, grape must or a blend of wine and grape must, to which is added:

• Sugar,
• Possibly wine spirit,
• Possibly various additives.

a)        Either in bottles at filling, or

b)       In the closed tank after the fermentation and before bottling.

Objective :

To obtain certain sensory characteristics and the various types of sparkling wine.

Prescriptions :

a)        The sugar employed is sucrose (cane or beet sugar) or grape sugar,

b)       The addition of the dosage shall not increase by more than 0.5% vol. the actual alcohol content of the sparkling wine,

c)        The additives that may be added to the dosage are the following : sulphur dioxide, ascorbic acid, metatartaric acid, sorbic acid, citric acid,

d)       The amount of the additives mentioned under c) in the liqueur should be planned in such a way that their levels in the sparkling wine produced comply with the limits fixed whether in Annex C of the Recueil of International Methods of Analysis for Wines and Musts, or in the corresponding sections of the present International Code of Oenological Practices,

e)       The sugars under a) and the additives under c) shall comply with the prescriptions of the International Oenological Codex.