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[ SEHK ]
This French word literally means "dry" and when used to describe still (non-bubbly) wines, indicates that the wine has little if any residual sugar left after fermentation, meaning the wine is dry (not sweet). In sparkling wines such as
CHAMPAGNE, however, the word takes on quite another meaning: "sec" indicates a relatively sweet wine (
DEMI-SEC even sweeter), while the driest sparkling wines are referred to as
BRUT.
© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S
COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
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