Dosage

In reference to wine, a "dosage" is a mixture of sugar and wine that is added to sparkling wine and champagne. At times, brandy and/or citric acid are mixed with the sugar rather than wine. A "dosage" is used in two ways: (1) "Shipping dosage", typically a mixture of sugar and the same type of wine, are added to the wine prior to final bottling. The purpose of the practice is to increase the wine's sweetness. The amount of sweetness added determines the type of sparkling wine (brut, extra dry, sec, etc.); (2) "Bottling dosage", a dosage mixture and yeast is added to a blend of still wine (cuvée), causing a secondary fermentation in the bottle.