Buying Alsace wines has so far been something of a gamble if you do not already know the wine or the producer. Now, things will be easier. It is henceforth mandatory to indicate on the label whether the wine is dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet or sweet.
The decision was taken already in 2020 and it is binding from vintage 2021. If you are looking for dry wine and see the designation “sec” on the label, you know that the sugar content is a maximum of 4 grams per litre (or a maximum of 9 grams, but then the acidity per litre must not be less than 2 grams lower than the sugar content).
The producer can indicate the sugar content on the label in two ways. One way is to print the relevant term: sec, demi-sec (maximum 12 grams of sugar), moëlleux (between 12 and 45 grams) or doux (more than 45 grams). The second way is to use a grading scale.
Read more (pdf): AVA-AOC.
