Best Sweet Champagne Brands under 100 (2020)
Oftentimes, in different countries where champagne is not a normal thing to have, they ask what is the difference between sweet champagne and sparkling wine.
First, true champagne comes directly from France. There’s only one place on Earth where you can produce fermented and bottled champagne. The name of the place is Champagne, France. They are the only legal label holder of the name ‘champagne’ on their products. Champagnes are being bottled within 100 miles of the Champagne region according to the European law.
All champagne is a sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne.
Sweet Champagne Brands under $100
This sweet champagne was made by no fewer than 50 individual wines. The traditional proportions for the Demi-Sec are 40% to 45% Pinot Noir, 30 to 35% Meunier, 20 to 25% Chardonnay.
This Demi-sec blend gives the champagne its fundamental structure. The presence of very distinct flavors means that there is a higher level of Meunier (30-35%) particularly the one that is found in the Yellow label.
The long aging which is 3 years in minimum for a demi-sec gives the silkiness to the champagne. The 45g/L dosage of flavors gives a sweeter balance for the wine.
“The sweet edge to this sparkler makes it quite attractive and a pleasant alternative to the more common dry styles typically served today. The nose offers notes of toast, apple skins, and pineapple core while the mouth shows riper flavors of peaches and cream and a hint of honey. Overall, a fun and well-balanced semi-sweet sparkler.” – LAUREN BUZZEO
If you are a classy and fine young man or lady, the Graham Beck Cap Classique will definitely be your match. They have The Non-Vintage Collection which includes the Brut NV, Bliss Demi-Sec NV, and Brut Rose NV). It demonstrates their unique and authentic character.
The Non-Vintage (NV) Collection
“Non Vintage” is a term used to refer to wines blended from multiple years. This type of wine reflects the brand of Graham Beck. Their recipe remains unchanged and their base wines are consistently used to maintain their specific brand style. This collection is intended to cleanse the palate and stimulate your taste buds for the other collections.
Schramsberg Cremant Demi-Sec is known for the fine balance with its sweetness. You can taste fruit tarts, sweet light cakes, delicious custards, poached fruits, mousses, angel pound cake with fruit and toasted almonds on top, gingerbread, and even exotic sorbets. This wine is the only wine that compliments well with the spicy Asian foods and blue cheeses.
This Nectar Impérial Rosé is known for its savvy and vibrant style that is perfect for nightlife. There’s a touch of fruity and intense taste in it that is unique with Moët & Chandon.
This Billecart-Salmon Demic-Sec blend is the same as Brut Reserve however, they differ in the dosage. The dosage is greater with the demi-sec but keeps the same finesse and elegance of the Cuvee.
Pommery Blue Sky Demi-Sec is known for a flavor blend of dry figs & almond paste with honey and marshmallow. It is perfect served over ice when it compliments the elegance of lemony & dried orange notes.
This Cuvee Sublime Demi-Sec is known for its romantic charms for its captivating fragrances which includes a combination of tropical fruits, roasted pineapple, vanilla and rum.
If you’re fond of orange blossom, peach, and thyme together, then Saracco Moscato d’Asti 2018 is your best bet. This vintage wine is a great party wine with a light, sweet, and sparkling taste you would never forget.
Intense and rich with dried fruit (almonds and hazelnuts) with grilled aromas, Laurent-Perrier Harmony Demi-sec is the perfect choice for your wine night. It is a rounded and well-delicate wine with a high proportion of Chardonnay in a brilliant and intense golden yellow color. Through the years of ageing, this wine brings the best of sweet and savory dishes especially pastries. It is a perfect match for those sweet delicacies and it adds more flavors to your dishes.
With its fresh and fruity ingredients including grapefruit, cucumber, and pepper, Veuve Clicquot Rich is the first champagne inspired by mixology. It is best paired with over ice to show the house’s signature blend.
One of the best sweet champagnes for a fair price is Louis Roederer Carte Blanche. It is like Brut Premier but produced from around 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier, 5% wine matured in oak tuns.
It is carefully kept in Louis Roederer’s cellars and aged for 3 years and left for a minimum of 6 months after disgorging.
What to Look When Buying The Product?
In every product, there are things we look for before we purchase it. In this case, if you want to buy a real champagne, here are the things that you need to consider:
Sweetness Level
The sweetness in Champagnes is totally different from the sweetness in normal wines that we have which is not from France. The sweetness in champagnes comes in the form of a sweetened mixture of wine and sugar or grape that’s added at the end of the second fermentation.
Since it is not like any other wine, the sweetness dosage is important because if the acidity in the wine is so high, it would be undrinkable and it would definitely affect your health. Though it will look like drinking straight lemon juice, it contains a high level of acidity which is not really good for your health.
Most champagnes are produced at brut level of sweetness.
Style
There are different styles you need to keep an eye on when choosing the perfect champagne for your night party. There are 3 primary grapes used to make Champagne. They are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. Plus, there are 4 rarer grapes of Champagne namely Arbane, Pinot Blanc, Petite Meslier, and Fromenteau.
The style is determined by how these grapes are used in the process. If the champagne doesn’t have a style listed, you can freely assume that all three grapes in a blanc is used by the producer.
Aging
Only a few people talked about how long a Champagne is aged. Aging champagne on ‘tirage’ is one of the most important things you need to consider to get the best of the best in a champagne. Aging champagne on tirage gives it more toasty, bready, and nutty aromas blend for a great champagne.
The best producers with the best wines out there age their wines for as long as 5-7 years on ‘tirage’. If you see a vintage on the label, it is one of the clues.
FAQ's
Most frequent questions and answers
Here are some kinds of champagne that appear to be sweet:
- Mailly Brut Reserve Grand Cru
- Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rose Champagne
- Mailly ‘Delice’ Demi-Sec Grand Cru
- De Margerie Grand Cru Brut
- Montaudon Brut
- Veuve Clicquot Demi Sec Champagne
- Tsarine Brut Premium Cuvee
- Mailly Les Echansons Grand Cru
The sweetness of champagne came from a step in the process of making the drink. It is called ‘liqueur d’expedition’. It is where champagne producers add a small amount of grape must (or sometimes sugar) before they cork the bottle. The purpose of the added sweetness on champagnes is to reduce the sour flavors in the wine. Because normal wines are highly acidic.
Adding the grape must is like adding sugar into your coffee to stir away from the bitterness. In this case, it is the sour flavor they are trying to omit. As time goes by, the sweetness level of each champagne varies as well since not all people have the same level of sweetness preferred.
Conclusion
There are different brands of sweet champagnes that you can take a look at if you are planning to have a wine night with your loved ones and friends.
You can spot the best wine based on its sweetness level, age, and style. If you are looking for specific sweet champagnes that’s under $100, we have listed 10 top brands that you can check out. Happy wine night!