Beverage
Sec
Sec on a sparkling label is misleading in everyday language: under EU dosage rules it is off-dry to medium, typically about 17–32 g/L residual sugar—sweeter than brut and drier than demi-sec. The style softens high-acid bases without full dessert sweetness, suiting fruit-forward aperitifs and lightly spicy food. It appears on Champagne, Crémant, Cava (as seco), and other regulated sparklers. Use sec sparkling with fruit tarts, mild cheeses, and dishes that want a hint of sweetness without demi-sec richness. In cooking, taste before reducing; the sugar can tip a pan sauce toward glaze territory faster than brut, so cut with stock or citrus if the dish is savoury.
Also known as: Sec Champagne / Crémant, Seco Cava, Sec Spumante, Sec Sparkling
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Grading systems
Grades are placed along a shared scale so systems can be compared side by side.
History
Sec dosages occupied the middle of Champagne’s historic sweet-to-dry spectrum.
Consumer shift toward drier wine narrowed sec’s market but kept the legal category alive.
Harmonised EU sparkling sugar definitions fixed sec between brut and demi-sec bands.