HOW MUCH SUGAR IS IN CHAMPAGNE / SPARKLING WINE?

HOW MUCH SUGAR IS IN CHAMPAGNE / SPARKLING WINE?

Do you know how much sugar is in your favourite bottle of bubbly? No? You're not alone.

Because winemakers aren't legally required to declare sugar content or other nutrition information on their wine labels, it's very difficult to figure out the best option if you're on a bit of a health kick (or simply want to avoid the dreaded sugar coma the next day).

While many still wines are naturally low in sugar, sparkling wine is an entirely different beast due in large part to how it's made. This makes it all the more important to know how to identify the best low sugar sparkling wines.

If you follow our one simple tip below, you won't need to avoid sparkling wine if you try to avoid or limit sugar! You just need to know what to look for when you're wandering down the sparkling wine aisle in the bottle-o. 

HOW MUCH SUGAR IS IN CHAMPAGNE / SPARKLING WINE? 

Finding a very low-sugar or sugar-free sparkling wine just requires knowing a few fancy French bubbly styles from the Champagne region.

Sparkling wines often use these Champagne styles on their labels but unfortunately, for most Aussie wine drinkers, the terms can actually be counter intuitive! For instance, a "Dry" sparkling wine actually is really sweet. 🤯

So here we go, sparkling wine styles from sweetest to least sweet:

  • DOUX. More than 50 grams per litre residual sugar
  • DEMI-SEC. 32 - 50 grams per litre residual sugar
  • DRY. 17 - 32 grams per litre residual sugar
  • EXTRA DRY. 12- 17 grams per litre residual sugar
  • BRUT. Up to 12 grams per litre residual sugar
  • EXTRA BRUT. Up to 6 grams per litre residual sugar
  • BRUT NATURE. 0 - 3 grams per litre residual sugar
Sugar Content in Sparkling Wine (Image Source: Wine Folly)

If you're looking for a sugar-free sparkling wine or a bubbly made with a very low amount of sugar in general, look for the words "BRUT NATURE" on the front or back label. 

Brut Nature Love + Glory Sparkling Wine

What if I don't see any of the Champagne terms on my bottle of sparkling wine label? Because of the way sparkling wine is traditionally made, it's likely safe to assume there is some level of added or residual sugar in the bottle.

WHERE CAN I BUY BRUT NATURE SPARKLING WINE / CHAMPAGNE? 

Brut Nature sparkling wine is often hard to find in bottle shops because historically, bubbly has been synonymous with sugar. So what's a bubble-loving gal to do? 

Meet our Love + Glory Sparkling Wine – new, boutique, small-batch sparkling winemakers who exclusively craft Brut Nature bubbly from premium McLaren Vale grapes. Passion project of wife and husband duo, Nicole St. Pierre and James Hastwell, the couple crafts each bottle with intention from sustainably-grown alternative grape varieties grown in their family's vineyard.

Every bottle of Love + Glory contains less than 0.2 grams of sugar making it virtually sugar-free and totally guilt-free — far less sugar than even the standard Brut Nature bubbly! 

Love + Glory Low Sugar Sparkling Wine

Love + Glory also proudly donates 3% of the revenue from every bottle purchased to Fitted for Work, an amazing not-for-profit that helps Australian women find work, keep work, and navigate working life with success. Drinking the good stuff now equals doing good stuff for Aussie communities, too! 

Love + Glory is available exclusively online with free-shipping Australia-wide. You can save 10% on your first order when you join the mailing list today!

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