‘Liqueur de dosage’ in sparkling wines
It’s not just about sugar
The makeup of the liqueur de dosage is often overlooked and can have a major influence on the final wine. Natalie Fryar shares her experience in a Sparkling Masterclass with winemakers.
Dosage is the last step before final corking in creating a sparkling wine. It involves the addition of a small quantity of ‘liqueur de dosage’ (liqueur) to the wine. The makeup of the liqueur de dosage is often overlooked and can have a major influence on the final wine.
We recently ran a Masterclass for winemakers focusing on the role of liqueurs / liqueur de dosage in sparkling wines. Natalie Fryar, Chief Winemaker for Australian Cuvee Centre, took participants on a journey to understand how the role of liqueur de dosage in the wine’s sensory development varies according to the style of sparkling wine and a winemaker’s expertise in developing the liqueurs. Participants were shown the same wine with 4 different liqueurs, and all agreed the differing liqueurs dramatically changed the finished wine. It is worth noting that the amount of liqueur added to each bottle is very small – generally between 6 and 12 mL per 750mL bottle. That’s somewhere just under or just over 1% of the bottle. But that small additional can make a dramatic difference.
Contrary to popular belief, liqueur de dosage is not just about how much sugar is added, there can be many more options than that. So what are the options for liqueur de dosage and what shapes these decisions?
The most basic of version of a liqueur is sugar and water. Sugar (cane sugar to be precise) provides mouthfeel and weight, and a feeling of richness to the wine, but will not add any aroma. Sugar and water dosage is often used by smaller winemakers, and many contract sparkling winemakers, as a simple uncomplicated liqueur that is not customised to that specific wine. The only thing that changes is the grams per litre of sugar.
A more preferred liqueur is one made from the wine itself and sugar. Compared to sugar and water this will have a more complex effect on your wine for both palate and aroma. The liqueur de dosage will consist of a mixture of sugar and the same wine as the bottle holds, and this is the best option when the winemaker is 100% happy with the wine as it stands.
a final touch of aroma
However, if the winemaker deems a final additional touch of aroma is desirable, the liqueur de dosage may be made with a reserve wine or another wine to add an extra dimension to the repertoire of flavours. Here the expertise of the winemaker comes into play, where their skills are used to create a palette of flavours from which to choose the perfect finishing touch, in terms of both palate and aroma. Bench trials for the potential liqueur de dosage are a must and a very interesting part of the final stages of sparkling production. Winemakers experiment with different liqueurs, finally selecting the one with the most complementary characteristics for the finishing the wine.
If you disgorge your wines in multiple batches, which may leave months or years between disgorgements, don’t forget to revisit your dosage over time. Development of your wine due to extended time on lees presents a great opportunity for winemakers to tinker with their liqueur de dosage to again present the best sparkling wine you can.
All this sounds like a lot of hard work, and it is, but it is also a great deal of fun that really tests your palate. Liqueurs can (and should) have a major influence on your wine. Experimenting with your liqueur de dosage is the last roll of the dice for your sparkling wine, so it is very much worth the effort to get the best out of it.