I’m a drinks expert and I’ve tested all supermarket prosecco – the best is an absolute bargain
ARE you popping a cork to mark an occasion this summer?
Chances are that your drink of choice will be a bottle of the Italian fizz prosecco.
We can’t get enough of this pocket-friendly foam.
In actual fact, we quaff so many flutes of the stuff that we are one of the biggest consumers of the bubbles in the world.
To celebrate National Prosecco Day tomorrow, drinks expert Helena Nicklin, from thethreedrinkers.com gives her pick of the best supermarket bottles for under a tenner and rates them out of five. Saluti!
Allini Prosecco Treviso Frizzante - Lidl (in stores), £5.49
★★☆☆☆
PROSECCO comes in various styles of bubbles ranging from still (tranquillo), semi-sparkling (frizzante) and fully sparkling (spumante).
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Spumante wines keep their fizz better and these are the ones we usually see in supermarkets, along with a few frizzantes.
Not being as effervescent means it can handle a screw cap instead of the traditional cork but it doesn’t keep its bounce very long once opened.
However, the upside of that is the price as these styles tend to be cheaper than bubblier versions.
A great choice for a little bit of sparkle to pick you up without breaking the bank.
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This is simple and citrusy for sipping alone.
It’s a decent drop for the very low price tag.
Fillipo Sansovino Brut Millesimato Prosecco DOC - Asda, £8.50
★★★☆☆
JUST like its posh French cousin champagne, prosecco is usually a blend of wines from different years.
But sometimes, if growing conditions have been particularly brilliant, producers will make vintage wines from that one, single year’s crop.
The word to look out for is “millesimato” on the label.
For obvious reasons, they tend to have a higher status and be on the pricer side.
Considering this bottle from Asda is dry, has DOC status (controlled designation of origin, the second highest quality level behind DOCG) AND is vintage, dahling, it offers proper bubble bang for your buck, even if it feels a bit light.
Finest Prosecco Rosé Brut Millesimato - Tesco, £8.50
★★★★★
VINTAGE Prosecco can come in pastel bubbles too and this Tesco tipple is terrific.
As vintage pink is rarer than white, it can be slightly more expensive but here you can really taste the trade-up even though it’s not reflected hugely in the price tag, so you get the benefits without the crazy cost!
With its splash of Pinot Noir for colour and red fruit, this ravishing, raspberry-scented rosé is an excellent all-rounder Italian fizz that’s not too sweet but full of flavour.
Great for any occasions or sipped on a summer’s day with sharing platters of cold cuts and cheese.
Finest Prosecco Brut Superiore Valdobbiadene DOCG - Tesco, £10
★★★☆☆
A bit of a mouthful to say, but luckily you don’t need to be fluent in Italian to know that the ‘Superiore Valdobbiadene’ on this supermarket Prosecco essentially means ‘bloomin’ awesome’!
The grapes for these wines come from highest quality part of the region, so you can expect good things from what’s inside.
It comes in all sweetness levels but this one, as a brut, feels sophisticated and dry with a lot of subtle levels of flavour.
A decent foodie Prosecco, especially delicious when savoured with some hard cheese.
La Gioiosa ‘Rosea’ Brut Prosecco Rosé - Morrisons, £9.50
★★★★☆
WINNING the prize for the prettiest bottle is this collaboration with makers La Gioiosa and designer Yvonne Ellen which is on the shelves at Morrisons for just under a tenner.
Brut, bright and bubbly, which means it is dry but the fruit will feel ripe, this Barbie of a wine has juicy, red fruit notes and isn’t too sweet.
Made in a historic vineyard in the northeastern city of Treviso Venosa, which is the official prosecco region, this pale pink fizz has proper pedigree.
One for popping the cork on a night in, or out, and sharing the bottle.
A flute pairs well with lots of laughter and bowls of salty snacks.
Castellore Organico Prosecco Extra Dry D.O.C - Aldi £8.49
★★★★★
As previously explained ‘extra dry’ Prosecco like this, bizarrely, is sweeter than ‘brut’, but even then the sugar levels between bottles do vary.
This Italian fizz from Aldi feels more fruity than overly saccharine with a lovely, frothy, vibrant pear vibe in the flute, which might be because the grapes are also organic.
Chuck in additional prestigious D.O.C. status and ‘spumante’ – so nice and bubbly - into the mix and you have a rather gorgeous glugger at a really great value price for what you get.
Sip this one alone or with posh smoked salmon canapés if it’s a special occasion. Yum!
Kylie Minogue Pink Prosecco Extra Dry - Sainsbury’s, £9 (down from £12)
★★★☆☆
There’s nothing not to like about this pretty, pink Prosecco from the Princess of Pop, especially when it’s on offer for under a tenner.
A sweeter style of the Italian favourite fizz, but it’s not cloying, think sweeties and creamy milkshakes when you sip.
It needs nothing to accompany it and would be delicious and very enjoyable sipped solo, but if you did pair with food a big bowl of strawberries and cream or an Eton mess style pud would be a great match.
A guilty pleasure frothy pink, but one that’s very well-made, unlike some!
Definitely a case of ‘the better the devil you know’.
M&S Classics Prosecco Brut DOC M&S in stores or Ocado.com, £9
★★★★☆
If you prefer your Prosecco on the drier side, look for the word ‘brut’ printed on the label NOT ‘extra dry’.
The labelling in Prosecco is slightly bonkers and it can be confusing if you aren’t an expert so this is my biggest tipple tip too look out for of when you are picking one off the supermarket shelf!
Also bonus points if you spot D.O.C. or D.O.C.G. (Denominazione d’Origine Controllata - e Garantita)) printed on your bottle, this is an extra quality stamp and it means the bubbles inside have been made according to strict regulations.
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This fab spumante fizz from M&S is drier than many others and has a bit more going on in the flavour department.
Brilliant, benchmark bubbles and a good choice for making sophisticated bellinis with peach juice.