Et tu Brut? Tarlant and zero dosage Champagne

A few months ago, a discussion about "zero dosage" Champagne erupted onto my twitter feed. Robert Joseph typically voiced it with brevity and force:

"There's NOTHING hedonistic about zero dosage wine. At least not to non-masochists."

What was this all about? Well, most Champagne, and notably all of the big non-vintage brands (The "Grand Marques" as the French call them) have a little sweetness added after their second fermentation. This "liqueur d’expedition", usually a white wine sweetened with grape juice, is designed to take the edge off what can sometimes be a rather brutal and acerbic wine.