What is Brut Wine?

We love parties and celebrating; a party is not complete without the best wine in town that goes best with most food. But before you grab any wine from the cellar, check if it’s a brut wine. Wondering what is brut wine? We got you covered.

Brut Wine Overview

Brut-Wine-Overview

Alright, some of us don’t know what brut wine is. But for people who love and drink wine like water, brut wine is an easy peasy subject that they can explain clearly without checking Google, our best friend.

So, what is brut wine? Before we go to the wine part, let us understand what the word brut means. Brut is a French word that means dry or raw. The word brut is also associated with non-commercial or unrefined. To put brut as an adjective for wine means that the wine is a dry type of wine or the least sweet wine in the selection.

A brut wine is one of the driest wines you can ever get, with a sugar level of fewer than 12 grams per liter. But do not confuse the taste of brut with an extra-brut or brut nature. The other two are drier than brut, but some say that the extra-brut wines are way sweeter than brut wines.

How are Brut Wines Produced?

How-are-Brut-Wines-Produced

Winemaking may seem easy, as shown on TV, where all you need to do is harvest the grapes from your vineyard, crush them, get the wines, and store them in their tanks or container. But, in the production of wine, you need to follow more steps before producing the best quality wine.

You need to know which way or process you want to take in producing a brut wine. The most common processes in producing brut wines and their bubbles are as follows:

Traditional

According to some research, this method is one of the most expensive ways to make wine since it needs many people to harvest the grapes and turn them into wine. Plus, the companies need to have a couple of staff for quality control.

Most wines that undergo the traditional process have around 13.5% alcohol level. It also preserves the grapes’ light flavor, acidity, and minerals. And since these wines are traditionally made, it doesn’t have any additives. Wines produced through the traditional process allow you can taste the vineyards’ particularities and inherent quality.

Transfer Method

Though this method is named the transfer method, this process still encompasses the traditional method. The wines will still go through the process of the traditional method, but the secondary fermentation will take place in a bottle.

After fermentation, the wines will be transferred into a pressurized tank, where the wine sediments are filtered completely before they are bottled for distribution.

Tank Method

The tank method is the easiest and most cost-effective way of producing quality wines. Unlike the transfer method, where the fermentation takes place in a bottle, the tank method uses stainless steel tanks for the wine’s second fermentation.

5 Brut Wines You Must Try

‘Aging like fine wine’ is a common phrase that most people use today. This phrase originated from the idea that the higher the age of the wine, the better it tastes. Thus, regardless of the method companies use, the quality of the wines is 100% intact.

Some good quality brut wines are those manufactured by Laurent-Perrier, Moet & Chandon, and Pommery. These wine brands stay on top of their competitors.

Well, some international wine brands can compete with these top brands. However, these brands’ quality might not be as competitive as those not from overseas due to some rules and regulations the company needs to meet before importing their wines.

Don’t worry if you will not find any of those brands. There are still brands that you can trust. Now check five of the best brut wine brands that won’t break the bank.

1. Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery Stanford Brut

Weibel-Family-Vineyards

A bottle of wine doesn’t need to be expensive for you to enjoy it. Do you agree with that? This less than $20 wine from Weibel Family Vineyard & Winery will match your palate.

This brut wine has a combination that complements one flavor to another – from its creamy texture to its level of sweetness. Then, there’s the acidity that you need and the kick of citrus, vanilla, and other fruit flavors.

2. De Valloire Cremant de Loire ‘Paramour’ Methode Traditionnelle Brut

De-Valloire-Cremant-de-Loire-‘Paramour-Methode-Traditionnelle-Brut

This one is for you if you want a bit of fruity brut wine with a citrusy and tangy texture. The acidity of the citrus and the grapes perfectly blends with the fruitiness of the pears.

3. Maison J B F Cremant de Limoux Brut

Maison-J-B-F-Cremant-de-Limoux-Brut

De Valloire Cremant de Loire ‘Paramour’ Methode Traditionnelle Brut may sound like the perfect brut due to its flavors. Its flavors blend well with all the key fruit ingredients. But here’s Maison J B F Cremant de Limoux Brut, which has a finer flavor and aroma than the De Valloire Cremant de Loire ‘Paramour’ Methode Traditionnelle Brut.

Its fine acidity, minerality, and fruity flavors of peach, mango, and lemon make Maison J B F Cremant de Limoux Brut one of the best brut wines on the market. Oh, I forgot, it also has white flower aromas and vanilla flavors that you will surely enjoy!

4. Roederer Estate Brut

Roederer-Estate-Brut

This is pricier than the other bruts listed above, and that’s because this brut wine is made from great grape varieties, including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The Roederer Estate Brut also has a different flavor than the brut wines on this list. Though the crisp minerality is there, the interesting fruit flavors of this wine come from crushed apple, pear, and lemon peel, to name a few.

5. 2002 Saint-Hilaire Blanquette de Limoux Brut

2002-Saint-Hilaire-Blanquette-de-Limoux-Brut

In our number 1 list in the 2002 Saint Hillaire Blanquette de Limoux Brut! This cost roughly $50, and for that amount, you will get the taste, aroma, and flavor of this brut, smooth, clean wine. The palate is lighter but crispier with the apples’ sweetness and the acidity of citrus fruits.

Can Brut Wine Match Any Food?

Brut wines work perfectly with various foods as most food seamlessly complements brut wines. But, the brut wine is not a jack of all trade wine. For brut wines to completely complement the food, the food must be cheese or meat-based, where the acidity meets the texture and the flavor of cheese or meat.

You can pair this with any food with the wine’s gentle kick of sweetness.

Hold up. Before you get or grab the food, you want to try this wine first. Bear in mind that brut wines can give your palate a sharp sensation. Some like this, and some don’t. So, you should check if the wine and the food’s flavor complement each other

Oh, don’t forget to chill the brut wine before serving it. Leave your brut wine bottle in the fridge for around three hours.

7 Levels of Wine Sweetness

7-Levels-of-Wine-Sweetness

Wines are composed of a particular type of grapes or may be mixed to reach the ideal level of wine sweetness. This is where the label comes in! The label in your wine bottle helps you know how sweet the wine is. So, before you swipe your card and pay for that bottle of wine, familiarize the terms below, which will help you decide which wine best fits your palate.

1. Doux

If you naturally love sweets, then this type is for you. The doux wines have the highest sweetness dosage. This wine’s sweetness level is comparable to a can of soda.

2. Demi-Sec

Its sweetness level is slightly sweet to medium sweet. But, you may need to avoid this half-dry wine if you don’t like an intense fruit flavor.

3. Sec

Sec refers to a dry wine with a balance-acidity. Thanks to the grape sugars that sit after the grape’s fermentation process! Some companies also add small amounts of this residual sugar before bottling.

4. Extra Sec

Another type of brut is extra sec which is almost similar to demi-sec. Only that, it doesn’t have an intense fruit sweetness. This is best for people who love to have that sweetness level of around 17 grams residual sugar/liter and a hint of that fruity flavor or sweetness.

5. Brut

A brut wine means it is less likely to be mouth-watering compared to the other levels of brut wines. Though this wine is dry, it still has residual sugar of around 12 grams per liter.

6. Extra Brut

Extra brut’s sweetness is a level down from brut. Though it says extra, this highly acidic wine is not as dry as you think.

7. Brut Nature

Brut nature is also known as brute zero. The wines that fall under this category have intense flavor, are highly acidic, and are super dry.

Conclusion

Now that you have an overview, I hope this article has helped you learn and answer the question, “What is brut wine?”. But don’t forget to familiarize the wine’s level of sweetness as this will help you to determine the type of wine quickly.

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