To get enough bubbles in a champagne it has to go through a second fermentation.

Winemakers complete the first fermentation in a tank where grape sugars are converted into wine, alcohol, and carbon dioxide. The second fermentation takes place in the bottle where extra sugar is added to create more carbonation in the champagne.

After the second fermentation, winemakers may still add a bit more sugar. Since there’s high acidity in champagne, the extra sugar is added to balance the acidity with sweetness. The sweetness of the final product depends on how much sugar was added and how much residual sugar remains in the champagne bottle.

Champagne makers indicate the level of sweetness on wine labels. Here’s a guide to the different levels of sweetness in champagne, from driest to sweetest:

 - Extra-Brut or Brut Nature (0-6 grams of sugar per litre)

 - Brut (less than 15 grams of sugar per litre)

 - Extra-Dry (12-20 grams of sugar per litre)

 - Sec (17-35 grams of sugar per litre)

 - Demi-Sec (33-55 grams of sugar per litre)

 - Doux (more than 55 grams of sugar per litre)

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