Rules and labels 1 October 2026

Champagne tightens Brut Nature rules from January 2027

The Comité Champagne — the trade and growers' body that governs Champagne AOC — has voted to lower the maximum residual sugar permitted in Brut Nature Champagne from 3 g/L to 2 g/L, effective for wines disgorged from 1 January 2027 onwards. The measure tightens the existing rule rather than creating a new category.

The current EU-wide limit for Brut Nature sparkling wine is 0–3 g/L, as set by EU Regulation 2019/33. Champagne is allowed to apply stricter internal rules on top of the EU baseline — this is the latest example of the appellation tightening its own standards beyond what the law requires.

The Champagne sweetness scale — what changes

Category Current rule From Jan 2027

Brut Nature (No added dosage) 0–3 g/L 0–2 g/L

Extra Brut 0–6 g/L Unchanged

Brut (Most common) 0–12 g/L Unchanged

Extra Dry 12–17 g/L Unchanged

Sec 17–32 g/L Unchanged

Demi-Sec 32–50 g/L Unchanged

Doux 50+ g/L Unchanged

All other Champagne sweetness categories (Extra Brut through Doux) remain under the EU baseline limits. Only Brut Nature is affected. For a full explanation of sparkling wine sweetness terminology, see the Sparkling sweetness terms guide.

Why it matters

At the 3 g/L level, a winemaker technically had room to add a small amount of dosage and still label the wine Brut Nature. From 2027, that margin is reduced further — the change is largely about definitional integrity rather than dramatic taste difference, but it reflects an industry consensus that the Brut Nature designation should be reserved for genuinely zero-or-near-zero-dosage wines.

For consumers who actively seek the driest possible Champagne style, the new rule offers slightly greater confidence. For those buying Brut — by far the most popular category — nothing changes. If you are exploring dry sparkling styles for the first time, the seven-question style questionnaire can help you work out whether a dry sparkling style suits you before committing to a bottle.

Source: Comité Champagne. EU Regulation 2019/33: EUR-Lex. Full rule text: Comité Champagne. Published 2026-10-01. Corrections via the contact form.

Questions

About dosage and Champagne sweetness.

What is dosage in Champagne?

Dosage is the addition of a small amount of wine mixed with sugar (the "liqueur d'expédition") to Champagne after disgorgement — the step that removes the yeast sediment. Dosage determines the final sweetness category of the bottle. A Brut Nature receives zero dosage (or barely any — up to 3 g/L under current rules, 2 g/L from 2027). A Demi-Sec might receive 35–40 g/L. Read the full sweetness scale in the Sparkling sweetness terms guide.

Why is Brut Nature becoming more popular?

Several trends converge: consumer interest in lower-sugar wines, the natural wine movement's influence on Champagne producers, and the fact that high-quality base wines from good vintages benefit less from sweetness correction than earlier decades' wines. Producers like Bollinger, Jacques Selosse and Laherte Frères have championed low-dosage styles. The Comité Champagne is reflecting this shift by tightening the Brut Nature definition.

Will this affect how Champagne tastes?

For most drinkers buying Brut, no — that category is unchanged. For Brut Nature lovers, the change means stricter control: any bottle labelled Brut Nature from January 2027 will contain no more than 2 g/L residual sugar, which is perceptibly drier than the current 3 g/L threshold allows. At the very lowest sweetness levels, the difference is detectable as a slightly sharper, leaner finish. Use the style questionnaire if you're unsure whether a dry sparkling style suits you.

Is this change specific to Champagne, or does it apply to other sparkling wines?

This is specific to Champagne AOC, governed by the Comité Champagne. The EU-wide sweetness scale (Brut Nature 0–3 g/L, etc.) is set by EU Regulation 2019/33 and remains unchanged for Cava, Prosecco, Crémant and other sparkling wines. Champagne is tightening its own internal rules above and beyond the EU baseline.