Veuve Clicquot Demi Sec
The house's sweet bottle, intended for the moment when the cake comes to the table. With 45 grams of sugar per liter, it stands in direct contrast to the Brut Vintage, which contains 9 grams.
Forty-five grams, and what that changes
Just before the cork is inserted, every champagne receives a dash of sugar solution: the dosage. That number determines which category the bottle falls into and how it works at the table. This Demi Sec contains 45 grams of sugar per liter, placing it in the demi-sec category. Within the same house, the difference is enormous: the Brut Vintage contains 9 grams, so this has five times as much sugar. The grapes are the same three the house uses throughout, pinot noir, meunier and chardonnay, but the result is a different drink.
Sugar does more than add sweetness. It softens the acidity, gives the mouth more body and brings the fruit to the fore, making a naturally taut champagne suddenly feel round and soft. That is exactly why this bottle beats a brut with pastries: alongside a sweet dessert, a dry champagne loses out and starts to taste sour. For an aperitif, it is simply too full-bodied; that is where the Yellow Label or Brut Vintage belongs.
In brief
Wine gums, ripe fruit and fresh bread
Candy-like fruit
Ripe fruit verging on candy: berries and wine gums. It is an openly inviting nose, without the austerity of a brut.
Soft and round
The sugar fills the mouth and softens the sharp edges of the acidity. As a result, the bubbles feel softer than in a dry champagne.
Toasted bread
Underneath all that fruit lies a note of freshly toasted bread, which comes from aging on yeast. It keeps the finish standing up and prevents it from becoming mere lemonade.
Flavor profile of the Demi Sec. Set it beside the Brut Vintage and you can taste in a single sip what 45 grams versus 9 grams of sugar per liter means.
At the end of the meal
A sweet champagne may be served on the cooler side, at 8 to 10 degrees: the cold keeps it fresh enough to prevent it from becoming syrupy. Pour smaller glasses than you would for a brut, because this style drinks fuller.
With tart and pastries
Pour 10 cl alongside a piece of fruit tart, apple pastry, or a bowl of strawberries. Rule of thumb: the dessert should not be sweeter than the champagne; otherwise, the dish will flatten the bottle.
Glass: flute or coupe →With blue cheese
Sweet and salty are another pairing that works. Pour 8 cl alongside a piece of spicy blue cheese: the sugar offsets the salt, while the toasted bread in the finish complements the rind.
Wine glasses →As Sgroppino
Stir one scoop of lemon sorbet, 20 ml vodka, and 80 ml demi-sec briefly until frothy. Because of the bottle's sweetness, you don't need syrup here, only the lemon's sharpness.
To the recipe →Cocktails with sweet champagne
When mixing, account for the sugar already in it: skip the syrup and choose a mixer with acidity or bitterness, otherwise the drink will become sticky.
Sgroppino
Lemon sorbet, vodka, and bubbles stirred together until frothy. The demi-sec makes it rounder.
Christmas cocktails
Bubbles with herbs and red fruit. A sweeter champagne works better here than a crisp brut.
Bellini
Peach purée topped up with bubbles. Skip the sugar syrup; the bottle already brings enough sweetness.
Mimosa
Orange juice and champagne. Use freshly squeezed juice; its acidity keeps it balanced.Which glass goes with a demi-sec?
A smaller glass is the sensible choice here: you pour more often and the champagne stays cold. A flute retains the mousse that carries the sweetness, while a coupe adds a festive touch to dessert.
More Veuve Clicquot flavors
Veuve Clicquot
Where it began. On the brand page, you can read all about Veuve Clicquot: its origins, varieties, and classic cocktails.
To Veuve Clicquot →
Veuve Clicquot Rosé
Copper-colored, full and juicy. Raspberry, wild strawberry and cherry, with pastry notes underneath.
View Veuve Clicquot Rosé →
Veuve Clicquot Brut Vintage
A single vintage, partly matured in wooden foudres. Apricot, fig, honey and mocha.
View Veuve Clicquot Brut Vintage →
Veuve Clicquot Rich
Citrus and floral notes, full and rounded. Intended for ice cubes and a single garnish.
View Veuve Clicquot Rich →
Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame
Exclusively Grand Cru grapes, floral and silky-smooth. The bottle for oysters and caviar.
View Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame →
Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old
Made entirely from reserve wines, the oldest dating from 1988. Silky-smooth, complex and elegant.
View Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old →Everything about champagne: the types, the best-known brands and the cocktails.
Questions about Veuve Clicquot Demi Sec
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