While prosecco is sometimes considered a poor cousin of champagne, we reckon it’s a superior drink for get-togethers that start earlier in the day, as it’s lower in alcohol and lighter to drink - and an added bonus is that it’s more affordable. It’s no surprise that Brits now spend over £350m a year on prosecco in the UK alone – over £100m more than on champers. But which prosecco is the perfect pick for the party season (and beyond)? Read on to find out, along with guidance on what to look for when buying a bottle.
How to buy the best prosecco
What is prosecco?
Like champagne, prosecco is a sparkling wine. But while champagne comes from Champagne in France, prosecco must come from a particular area of north-eastern Italy, which spans the Veneto and Friuli regions. It also tastes quite different: while champagne is dry and acidic, prosecco is softer and sweeter.
Prosecco is made using the glera grape; some types are made exclusively with this, while some producers blend it with additional grapes such as chardonnay. But all prosecco must, by law, contain at least 85 per cent glera.
Why is prosecco cheaper than champagne?
With champagne, a still wine is fermented for a second time in the bottle to create the fizz. But with prosecco, this second fermentation usually happens in a large pressurised tank, and the wine is filtered and bottled afterwards. This is less labour-intensive and less time-consuming, which is why it can be cheaper; it also helps explain why champagne has more mature tasting flavours, while prosecco is fresh and fruity.
What makes a good prosecco?
The letters DOCG (denominazione di origine controllata e garantita) mean that prosecco has come specifically from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene area, which is famed for its quality. There’s even a kind of “grand cru” prosecco, from the steep hills around the town of Cartizze, where a small number of vineyards are harvested by hand. Grapes here reach the ultimate ripeness and prosecco from this area tends to cost the most. Other prosecco types are marked with the letters DOC, which simply confirms that they’re from the overall prosecco-making region.
Don’t be put off by labels that say “light and fruity” – prosecco is supposed to have these characteristics. In fact, so-called “dry” prosecco is still quite sweet, and even “extra dry” still contains between 12-17g of sugar. If you want a genuinely dry wine, look out for the word Brut on the label.
The best prosecco to buy
1. Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco: Best supermarket prosecco
Price:£7.50 – Buy now from Sainsbury's
If you find prosecco a bit sickly, this excellent bottle could be just the thing. With grassy, floral and fresh fruit notes, and flavours including tangy citrus with honeyed apricot flavours, it’s more subtly sweet than many rivals. It also has a high fizz factor, with big, bold bubbles, and makes a great basis for cocktails ranging from the Bellini to the Aperol Spritz. Made in the renowned Conegliano Valdobbiadene region, with DOCG status, it was launched by Sainsbury’s in 2011 and has remained one of the bestselling “Taste the Difference” products ever since. Also available in single serve, half bottle and magnum.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
2. Hotel Chocolat Classic Prosecco: Best for partnering with sweet foods
Price:£18 – Buy now from Hotel Chocolat
If you’re after a bubbly to complement chocolate or rich desserts, look no further than this fragrant blend that uses purely hand-picked glera grapes. Made in a boutique winery in the Dolomite foothills by a family that’s been making wine for several generations, this full-bodied sparkling wine is both lively and fruity, with hints of apple and peach, an elegant straw hue and much finer bubbles than supermarket prosecco. Snap it up, though, as there’s limited stock each season.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11.5%
3. Bortolotti Prosecco Extra Dry: Best extra-dry prosecco
Price:£22 – Buy now from Harrods
This delicate, floral fizz doesn’t come cheap, but if you want a top-drawer aperitif to impress a discerning guest then this Bortolotti prosecco should do the trick nicely. Straw yellow in colour, with concentrated aromas of white peach, white flower and pleasant notes of talc (yes, really), it balances fruity flavours with a delicious creaminess. It’s described as extra dry, but remember it’s all relative with prosecco, so you still get the characteristic sweetness. It makes a great aperitif, and works well with lighter seafood dishes, so it could be the perfect opener to Christmas lunch.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11.5%
4. Definition Prosecco Brut NV: Best heritage prosecco
Price:£11 – Buy now from Majestic Wines
Cantina Produttori di Valdobbiadene is a co-operative winery of 583 associate growers cultivating over 700 hectares of vineyards in the steep hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. Established in 1952, it’s one of the oldest companies growing, processing and bottling prosecco and has made some corkers over the years, including this one that’s made from 100 per cent glera grapes and whose quality you often only find in Italy itself (remembering that Italians tend to hang onto the best stuff). It has a pale straw colour and you get the typical fruit characters of apples and pears combined with richer notes of pineapple. Enjoy as an aperitif or with antipasti.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
5. Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG: Best-value DOCG prosecco
Price:£8 – Buy now from Aldi
This affordable DOCG fizz from the well-thought-of Valdobbiadene region works well as both an aperitif and a cocktail ingredient - especially with a touch of peach puree to create a classic Bellini. Light, refreshing and refined, with floral aromas and fruity taste, it’s slightly more biscuity than many others we tried, and a bit drier than the Sainsbury’s Prosecco. It adds up to an impressively sophisticated drink, particularly for the price. If you’re organising a Christmas shindig on a budget, this is definitely one to consider.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
6. The Society’s Prosecco: Best party prosecco
Price:£10.50 – Buy now from The Wine Society
This light prosecco with soft bubbles smacks of celebration – it’s the ideal aperitif to serve with nibbles to get everyone in a party mood. Produced by the Adami family at La Riva dei Frati, using a combination of traditional methods and modern technology, it’s made exclusively with glera grapes from their own vineyards. Fresh, with subtle fruitiness on the nose and in the mouth, the taste is a clear cut above the norm, yet it it isn’t much more expensive than your everyday prosecco. That’s good, because you’ll almost certainly want to buy more than one bottle.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
7. Prosecco Asolo Extra Dry, Bele Casel, Veneto: Best upmarket prosecco
Price:£15 – Buy now from Berry Bros & Rudd
This clean and crisp prosecco is exceptionally elegant, hitting a perfect balance between dryness and sweetness. In fact, it’s so good on its own that you’ll probably feel guilty adding anything (although it works wonderfully in cocktails too). It’s made by a family on a small estate in a protected area called Asolo, where limestone gives the wines a white-peach flavour, and boasts impressively persistent bubbles. A real winner for those prepared to pay a bit more for a fine prosecco.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
8. Thomson & Scott Skinny Prosecco: A sumptuous low-sugar prosecco
Price:£18 – Buy now from Selfridges
This low-sugar prosecco became the best-selling wine on Selfridge's website almost immediately after it launched. “With so many other food and drink products cutting their sugar content, I thought why shouldn’t champagne too?” explains Amanda Thompson, founder of Thomson & Scott, which specialises in low and no-sugar booze. With half the usual sugar content added in the production process, this fizz is comparatively guilt-free, and comes in mini and magnum sizes as well as regular bottles. Despite the non-traditional recipe, it tastes superb, with a fruity aroma, inviting bubbles and delicate sweetness that’s well balanced with a dry and lasting finish. If you didn’t know the secret, you’d never guess.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%
9. Freixenet Prosecco: A great prosecco for sharing with friends
Price:£12 – Buy now from Tesco
This one definitely wins the prize for the jazziest bottle in our roundup - and it tastes light, fruity and fresh. Made only with glera grapes, it offers floral, apple, peach and citrus aromas, and a crisp and delicate fruitiness in the mouth, with the ripe apple and zesty citrus combining beautifully with the sweeter apricot and peach. The bubbles are finer and more long-lasting than with many proseccos, making this the perfect fizz to stock up on over the festive period and beyond.
Key specs – Alcohol content: 11%