A: Dosage in a sparkling wine refers to the liquid that is added to a bubbly before bottling - A small amount of liquid is lost during the final steps of the sparkling wine production process and the dosage serves as the top up liquid. In French this addition is called the liqueur d'expédition and, in traditional method wines, usually comprises a mixture of wine and sugar syrup. Dosage thus determines the sweetness, or residual sugar, of the finished wine and is thus used as a finishing touch to ruond out the palate.
Champagne is naturally so high in acidity that even wines with relatively high residual sugar can taste bone dry. Bottle age or extended autolysis are excellent substitutes for dosage, however, and, in general, the older the wine, the lower the necessary dosage to produce a balanced wine, and vice versa. Some champagnes are made with no, or zero, dosage in an attempt to showcase the skill of the winemaker and the clarity of the fruit.
Nearly all sparkling wines will have some sore of dosage added to them, depending on what sort of style is desired - more commercial, softer, early drinking styles usually require a higher dosage than super fine French Champagnes, however it is often surprising how much dosage even the finest bubblies receive - a judicious hand is required to come up with the perfect balance of sweetness.
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