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If you drink sparkling honey wine, you already know two of the words: brut for dry and demi-sec for semi-sweet. Champagne and Prosecco publish the same sugar bands, and the middle of the scale trips everyone up. Extra Dry has 12 to 17 g/L of sugar, sweeter than Brut at under 12 g/L, and Dry (sec) is sweeter again at 17 to 32 g/L. Demi-sec runs 32 to 50 g/L, and Champagne adds doux, above 50.
The method matters too. Champagne, Cava and Crémant get their bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle. Prosecco's second fermentation happens in large pressurized tanks called autoclaves. Moscato d'Asti is different again: lightly sparkling (frizzante), sweet, and only about 5.5% alcohol.
For a brut sparkling mead drinker, Brut Champagne, Cava or Crémant is the natural comparison; for demi-sec, try demi-sec Prosecco or Moscato d'Asti. We have not tasted the bottles below; the notes on each card are the retailer's.
Prosecco
Italy's tank-fermented sparkling wine. Brut Nature and Extra Brut are the driest, then Brut; Extra Dry and Dry are sweeter, and demi-sec is the sweetest at 32 to 50 g/L. Spumante is fully sparkling, frizzante more gently.
Val d'Oca Prosecco Extra Dry
- Prosecco Extra Dry
- Off-dry
- Italy
Extra dry Prosecco has a touch of sweetness and a hint of honey in the notes.
Wine On Sale says: Fragrant with white flowers, green apple and pear; light and refreshing with citrus, apple and a hint of honey.
Bisol Jeio Prosecco Brut
- Prosecco Brut
- Dry
- Italy
A dry Prosecco for readers who want a brut style.
Wine On Sale says: A crisp, dry Italian sparkler with green apple, citrus and a touch of toasted bread and fine bubbles.
Champagne
Bottle-fermented in the Champagne region. The dosage, a little cane sugar dissolved in wine and added just before corking, sets the style: under 12 g/L for brut, 32 to 50 g/L for demi-sec and over 50 for doux.
Laurent-Perrier Demi-Sec Harmony Champagne
- Champagne Demi-Sec
- Off-dry
- France
A demi-sec Champagne with honeyed notes, sweeter than brut.
Wine On Sale says: Champagne with delicate orchard fruit and honeyed notes and a touch of sweetness, suggested for toasts and desserts.
Canard-Duchene Demi Sec Champagne
- Champagne Demi-Sec
- Off-dry
- France
A less expensive demi-sec Champagne with honey in the notes.
Wine On Sale says: A smooth, slightly sweet Champagne with ripe apple, pear and a hint of honey and a fine, persistent mousse.
Moet & Chandon Imperial Brut Champagne
- Champagne Brut
- Dry
- France
A classic brut Champagne with a 92-point score on the merchant page.
Wine On Sale says: Golden straw color with apple, pear, yellow peach, honey and lime blossom aromas and brioche and fresh nut notes.
WS 92 (as listed by Wine On Sale)
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut
- Champagne Brut
- Dry
- France
A classic brut Champagne for gifting or toasts.
Wine On Sale says: Pinot Noir-led Champagne with grapefruit, citrus peel, quince, toast and almond aromas, medium-bodied with fine bubbles.
JS 92 (as listed by Wine On Sale)
Moscato d'Asti and Asti
Low in alcohol, sweet and gently fizzy. The rules require at least 4.5% alcohol, and most bottles are around 5.5%. Asti Spumante is the fully sparkling version.
Saracco Moscato d'Asti 2025
- Moscato d Asti
- Sweet
- Italy
Honeysuckle and apricot in a lightly sparkling, low-alcohol Moscato with a 95-point score.
Wine On Sale says: Delicately sweet, lightly sparkling Moscato with peach, apricot, honeysuckle, orange blossom and lemon zest aromas.
WE 95 (as listed by Wine On Sale)
Martini Asti
- Asti Spumante
- Sweet
- Italy
Asti is the classic sweet sparkler for toasts and dessert.
Wine On Sale says: A sweet, sparkling Piedmont wine with ripe peach, apricot and orange notes, light and effervescent.
ONEHOPE Sparkling Moscato
- Sparkling Moscato
- Sweet
A $20 sparkling Moscato with citrus blossom and white peach.
ONEHOPE Wine says: Citrus blossom and juicy white peach aromas with a delicate sweetness and playful bubbles; lemon drop and mandarin on a balanced finish.
Cava, Crémant and other sparkling wine
Cava is Spain's traditional-method sparkling wine, aged at least nine months on its lees. Crémant is made the same way in eight French appellations outside Champagne, and in Luxembourg.
Gruet Demi Sec Sweet Jolie
- Sparkling Demi-Sec
- Off-dry
- United States
An American demi-sec sparkling wine with honey in the tasting notes.
Wine On Sale says: A New Mexico demi-sec sparkler, off-dry with ripe fruit, honey and floral aromas and pear and apple on the palate.
Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Brut
- Cava
- Dry
- Spain
A widely available dry Cava at under $20.
Wine On Sale says: A fresh, fruity Cava with a lingering aroma and notes of apple, pear, citrus and a touch of ginger.
Gratien & Meyer Cremant de Loire Brut
- Cremant
- Dry
- France
A dry French Cremant, a lower-cost alternative to Champagne.
Wine On Sale says: A crisp Loire sparkler with green apple, pear and floral aromas and citrus, white peach and minerality on the palate.
Sparkling Wine Mixed Pack
- Canned wine
- Dry
Canned bubbles for picnics and parties; these are dry, not sweet.
Maker Wine says: Three dry, zero-sugar canned sparklers from women winemakers: Brut Bubbles, Bubbly Red and Bubbly Rose.
Bartenura Brachetto 2024
- Brachetto d Acqui
- Sweet
- Italy
Brachetto is a classic sweet, fizzy Italian red.
Wine On Sale says: A sweet, effervescent red with rose petal and red berry aromas and strawberry and raspberry flavors, light on alcohol.
Bubbly Rose Wine
- Canned wine
- Dry
- California
A single-wine can pack of sparkling rose.
Maker Wine says: A lightly sparkling dry rose of Merlot, Zinfandel and Grenache with watermelon, plum and strawberry flavors.
Brut Bubbles
- Canned wine
- Dry
- California
Canned brut for celebrations without a bottle.
Maker Wine says: An aromatic, dry sparkler with yellow apple, grapefruit and tropical fruit; Gold at the 2025 Sunset International Wine Competition.
ONEHOPE Classic Shimmer Wine Gift
- Gift set
A ready-to-give single-bottle sparkling gift.
ONEHOPE Wine says: An etched Shimmer sparkling bottle in a magnetic gift box with gold foil ONEHOPE branding; the default is the Gold Shimmer Sparkling Brut.
Holiday Sparkling Wine Sampler
- Gift set
- Mixed
A four-bottle bubbly gift with a range of dry styles.
Plonk Wine Club says: Four organic and biodynamic sparkling wines from Alsace, the Loire Valley, Penedes and Burgenland, tailored for holiday entertaining.
Michel Foch Brut & Rose Duo
- Gift set
A two-bottle Champagne gift box for a special occasion.
HALL Wines says: A gift box with one bottle each of Michel Foch Brut and Michel Foch Rose Champagne, the Brut scored 93 and the Rose 92 by Owen Bargreen.
How to choose
- Learn the scale once. From driest to sweetest: Brut Nature (under 3 g/L), Extra Brut (0 to 6), Brut (under 12), Extra Dry (12 to 17), Sec or Dry (17 to 32), Demi-sec (32 to 50) and, in Champagne, Doux (over 50). Cava uses Spanish versions of the same names, from Brut Nature to Dulce.
- Pick demi-sec for a semi-sweet match. Demi-sec Champagne and Prosecco, at 32 to 50 g/L, are the closest match for a semi-sweet sparkling mead. Moscato d'Asti is sweeter on paper, at 100 to 150 g/L of residual sugar according to Wine Folly, but its gentle fizz makes it taste lighter than that number suggests.
- Same method, other places. Cava and Crémant are made the same way as Champagne, with the second fermentation in the bottle. Cava must spend at least nine months on its lees.
- Serve it cold, not frozen. Wine Folly suggests 38 to 45°F for sparkling wine. The Champagne trade body prefers about 8 to 10°C (46 to 50°F) for Champagne, "chilled but not ice-cold": 20 to 30 minutes in a bucket of ice and water does it.
- Use demi-sec with dessert. The Champagne trade body suggests demi-sec and doux with desserts, pistachio and sweet-and-sour dishes. The wine should be at least as sweet as the dessert, the same rule we use for honey wine.
Prices and notes come from each retailer's product page and change often. We have not tasted every bottle here; the descriptions are the retailer's, condensed. More on how we pick in our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is Extra Dry sweeter than Brut?
Yes. In both Champagne and Prosecco, Brut has less than 12 g/L of sugar and Extra Dry 12 to 17 g/L. Dry, or sec, is sweeter again at 17 to 32 g/L.
What is the sweetest Prosecco?
Demi-sec, with 32 to 50 g/L of sugar, according to the Prosecco DOC consortium. Dry comes next at 17 to 32 g/L, then Extra Dry at 12 to 17.
What does demi-sec Champagne mean?
Champagne with 32 to 50 g/L of sugar, set by the dosage of cane sugar dissolved in wine that is added just before corking. Only doux, at more than 50 g/L, is sweeter.
Is Moscato d'Asti sparkling?
Lightly. It is frizzante, with a soft fizz at a pressure low enough for an ordinary cork, while Asti Spumante is fully sparkling. It is also low in alcohol: the rules require at least 4.5%, and most bottles are around 5.5%.
What is the difference between Champagne, Cava and Crémant?
Mainly where they are made. All three get their bubbles from a second fermentation in the bottle. Champagne comes from the Champagne region, Crémant from eight other French appellations and Luxembourg, and Cava from Spain, where it must age at least nine months on its lees.
Which sparkling wine is closest to sparkling honey wine?
Match the sweetness. A brut sparkling mead compares with Brut Cava or Champagne, and a demi-sec one with demi-sec Prosecco or Moscato d'Asti, as our sparkling honey wine guide explains.
Sources
- Comité Champagne: Dosage
- Comité Champagne: Champagne demi-sec to doux
- Comité Champagne: Preparations for drinking Champagne
- Consorzio Prosecco DOC: Types and sweetness levels
- Consorzio Prosecco DOC: Winemaking
- D.O. Cava: The traditional method of Cava
- Wine Folly: Crémant wine
- GuildSomm: The true chameleon, an introduction to Muscat
- Wine Folly: The magic of Moscato d'Asti
- Wine Folly: Wine serving temperature