The Brut and Extra Dry are the most popular champagnes around the world. Some casual stores don’t even sell other types of champagne rather than these two. They both taste sour, while some may say that they are a little bitter.
What is the difference between Brut and Extra Dry? Anyways, the main difference between Brut and Extra Dry champagne is the level of sweetness in the beverage. It may sound weird, but the Extra Dry champagne is considered to be sweeter than the Brut one.
Brut means “dry” or “raw” in French. It makes sense, as this champagne itself tastes pretty dry and just 1.5% consists of sugar.
This is the most common champagne, and someone who has never tried before would not even realize that there is sugar added in his drink. People who like dry wine are highly suggested to try the Brut champagne as well. After tasting Brut, some even choose it over the wine they were used to drink.
Extra Dry champagne is a little odd because of its name. Why’s that? Well, this type of champagne is actually sweeter than the Brut one, even though its name defines the opposite.
The sugar level of this champagne can go up to 2%. Although the difference is very slight, a lot of people notice it. Extra Dry also tastes less sour than Brut, and the sweetness definitely plays its role in that part.
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Brut or Extra Dry Champagne
As mentioned, a lot of people would be surprised to hear that Extra Dry champagne is actually sweeter than the Brut one. It’s hard to pick between those two types, as most of the things depend on the person who drinks the beverage and, of course, his taste.
Still, it is essential to know that neither of these two is extremely sweet like Demi-Sec or Doux. Usually, most of the champagnes are dry, and very few people would complain of them being too sweet. Now let’s go to the details.
If you don’t want your champagne to be dry and neither too sweet, then Extra Dry will become a brilliant choice for you. It’s nicely balanced and will keep your happy mood up, making it even better.
On the other hand, if you want your champagne to be a little drier, rather then balanced up with the sweetness, then you would really love the Brut. The amount of sugar in it is so imperceptible that you will not even notice it.
Your choice may also depend on the occasion or event you are getting the champagne for. Is it a business meeting? New Year’s Eve or maybe a birthday party? Most people buy the Extra Dry champagnes for Christmas, Birthdays or National Holidays, while Brut champagnes are mostly consumed during more personal events, like dates and meetings.
Champagne Sweetness
Champagne is not the sweetest beverage to drink. However, some of its types differ from one another in the manner of sweetness. Here is the scale of champagnes going from the driest ones to the sweetest.
If you want to try dry champagne, here are some that are highly recommended.
Brut Nature – It just has 0-3 g/l Residual Sugar (RS), which is equivalent to less than 1/6 teaspoon sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. This is the driest type of champagne and is recommended for people who admire dry beverages.
Extra Brut – This brut-type champagne has 0-6 g/l RS, which is equivalent to less than ¼ teaspoon sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. Extra Brut is a little drier than the Brut. It also is sourer, so you can taste it out to feel the difference.
Brut – The original Brut has 0-12 g/l RS, which is equivalent to less than ½ teaspoon sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving.
Now let’s get sweeter. Here are some types of champagnes that will satisfy your lack of sweetness.
Extra Dry – This one has 12-17 g/l RS, which is equivalent to ½–¾ teaspoon sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. After all, it turns out that the Extra Dry champagne’s least possible grams of residual sugar (12g) is the maximum you can get from the Brut champagne.
Dry – This champagne has 17-32 g/l RS is equivalent to ¾-1 teaspoon sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. A little sweeter than the previous one.
Demi-Sec – Now we got to the really sweet ones. Demi-Sec has 32-50 g/l RS is equivalent to 1–2 teaspoons sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. Now it goes even sweeter up to the end.
Doux – This is probably the sweetest type of champagne you get if you have a passion for sweet beverages. It has 50+ g/l RS is equivalent to over 2 teaspoons sugar per 5 oz/150 ml serving. It almost tastes like a cream soda and is worth for trying out.
Now you got the list, and everything else is up to your taste and preferences. Get the one, your mood asks you to get and always remember that champagne is always for drawing a smile on your face and good vibes.
More: Red Wine vs White Wine
Is Brut champagne sweet?
No. Brut Champagne has 0-12 g/l Residual Sugar, which does not affect the taste that much. It’s dry and sour, so if you want something sweeter, you can try Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec or Doux types of champagnes.
What is Extra Dry Champagne?
Extra Dry champagne is a beverage. It’s in the middle of the champagne sweetness scale, containing 12-17 g/l Residual Sugar. It’s not as dry as the Brut Nature, Extra Brut or Brut champagnes are. It has control over the sweetness, balancing the latter with the dryness.
Champagne connects our mood to the present world. It’s hard to find someone who disagrees with this definition. You can drink champagne just because of the love and passion towards it. Undoubtedly, there can also be the thing of champagne being your habit, so you consume it every day, just because it feels right to do.
It’s a great option for business and social meetings too, as champagne brings the spirit of professionalism. Many people confuse champagne with wine, but those two are totally different drinks.
Champagne doesn’t have as many types as wine does. It can’t be red or white, but it can be Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec and Doux. It’s lighter than wine and is easier to drink and digest.
Champagne has a big story, which many of you probably don’t know about. Starting from the Romans in 900s, people started to get another beverage from the local wine they were used to drink. It’s important to mention that France has played a notable role in spreading champagne all around the world, as Hugh Capet, the King of France, has established one of the first champagne regions.
Now, it’s not a big surprise to know that France leads the champagne market with 102,2 million liters of consumption by total volume in 2021. The United Kingdom is placed second, and USA third with 22,6 million and 20,5 million liters respectively. In some countries around the world, Brut and Extra Dry champagnes are especially popular, as most people prefer those two specific champagnes.
Is Extra Dry champagne sweeter than Brut?
Yes. Despite the fact that most of the people think the opposite because of the “Extra Dry” name of this champagne, still, it is indeed sweeter than the Brut.
Champagne is getting more and more popular every year. Many people replaced their favorite beverages with champagne, as a light and pleasant alternative. New champagne factories are opening all around the world, especially in Europe and USA, so we better be ready for the alcohol industry to form a new, strong branch of champagne.
Today there are famous brands that already have a huge history of producing good-quality champagnes, like Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Nicolas Feuillatte, Laurent-Perrier, and Taittinger.
That’s it! Now you know everything needed to choose your first bottle of champagne. Don’t forget to get some triple cream cheese, sweet bread, fruit dessert or shrimps to pair your champagne with and make your day. Let your mood become even greater with a glass of fine champagne.
