The terms brut, sec, doux and related refer to the sugar content of wine, sparkling wine, including Champagne, and other alcoholic beverages. There are European and national guidelines for these. European directives include regulations EEC No. 2333/92 and EC No. 554/95. These regulations govern the labeling of bottles of sparkling wine.
The following contents sizes are allowed for sparkling wine:
0.125, 0.20, 0.375, 0.75, 1.50, 3.00, 4.50, 6.00 and 9.00 liters.
The sugar content may be referred to by any of the terms below. The language used is the language of the country in which the product is primarily offered.
French sparkling wines including Champagne are also subject to European rules, contained in: Règles d'étiquetage et de publicité vins tranquilles, vins mousseux, vins pétillants, vins de liqueurs, etc : R.CE 1493/1999; as of May 31, 2001.
| Sugar content | Term |
| 0 - 6 g/l |
nature herb (German), extra herb (German), herb (German)
brut nature (French), pas dosé (French), dosage zéro (French), extra brut (French), brut (French)
dosaggio zero (Italian)
gross natural (Spanish), extra gross (Spanish), gross (Spanish)
|
| 12 - 20 g/l |
extra trocken (German)
extra dry (English)
extra-dry (French)
extra seco (Spanish)
|
| 17 - 35 g/l |
tør (Danish)
trocken (German)
dry (English)
kuiva (Finnish)
sec (French)
ξηρός (xèrós) (Greek)
secco (Italian), asciutto (Italian)
seco (Spanish)
torr (Swedish)
|
| 33 - 50 g/l |
halvtør (Danish)
halbtrocken (German)
medium dry (English)
puolikuiva (Finnish)
demi-sec (French)
ημίξηρος (èmíxèros) (Greek)
abboccato (Italian)
meio seco (Portuguese)
semi seco (Spanish)
halvtorr (Swedish)
|
| >50 g/l |
sød (Danish)
mild (German)
sweet (English)
makea (Finnish)
doux (French)
γλυκύς (glukús) (Greek)
dolce (Italian)
doce (Portuguese)
dulce (Spanish)
söt (Swedish)
|
And what should we do with this knowledge?
It is useful to know which term goes with the wines you personally like best because, let's face it, the amount of wines on offer often do not make it easier for us to make the right choice. If you know which flavor suits you best in terms of sweetness, at least you already have a handle on your choice.
Should we care about our line?
Sweet white wine contains almost 6 grams of carbohydrates per 100 ml while dry white wine contains only about 1 gram of carbohydrates per 100 ml. That translates to the table below for each type of wine:
| Alcoholic beverage | Carbohydrates per standard glass | Kcal per standard glass |
| Red wine | 3 | 82 |
| Rosé wine | 2,5 | 71 |
| Dry white wine | 0,6 | 67 |
| Sweet white wine | 5,9 | 96 |
Well, we'll just have to compare that with other alcoholic beverages:
| Alcoholic beverage | Carbohydrates per standard glass | Kcal per standard glass |
| Fruit-flavored beer | 15 | 132,5 |
| Beer, old brown | 13,8 | 95 |
| Pilsner | 7,8 | 115 |
| Heavy beer (>7%) | 10,3 | 160 |
| Brandy | 0 | 231 |
| Young gin | 0 | 68,6 |
| Old gin | 0,4 | 70 |
| Rum | 0 | 82 |
| Whisky | 0 | 86 |
| Liqueur (15 - 25%) | 10,2 | 84,7 |
Conclusion: a glass of dry white wine is always right for you, but even a glass of red wine is still preferable to a glass of beer (if you watch the calories).
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Sources: nutrition center and National Institute for Public Health and the Environment
