Dosage is Champagne’s sweetening step after disgorgement.
Once the sediment from the second fermentation has been removed, the producer adds a small amount of expedition liqueur. This usually consists of wine and sugar, although the exact recipe is part of each producer’s cellar practice. The addition replaces the small volume lost during disgorgement and establishes the finished wine’s sweetness.
The terms brut, extra brut, brut nature, sec, and demi-sec describe different residual-sugar levels. Brut is dry, but it is not necessarily sugar-free. Brut nature, when used under the applicable rules, indicates an especially low-sugar wine with no significant dosage added. The exact permitted ranges can change under appellation regulations, so labels and current rules matter.
Dosage should not be confused with tirage. Tirage occurs earlier, when base wine is bottled with yeast and sugar to begin the second fermentation. Riddling then gathers the sediment, and disgorgement removes it before dosage completes the finishing sequence.