Life is better when you’re drinking one of the best proseccos.
If you’re reading this, you probably agree with that statement: certainly enough Brits do, with millions of bottles of fizz drained on UK soil every year. In fact, by some estimates, we actually drink around a third of all prosecco that’s produced. That’s a lot of popped corks.
We love it for obvious reasons. First off, it’s delicious. And second, it isn’t a crazy investment; even the poshest bottles usually cost less than £20. You can get a great gift or a special occasion sipper without the mega price tag of champagne.
The reason prosecco is cheaper than champagne has nothing to do with its quality or taste. It’s mostly down to the way it’s made.
Unlike champagne, which gets its bubbles from a slow, laborious production (literally called the ‘traditional method’), prosecco uses a process called charmat, which makes the wine fizzy in a fraction of the time. The wine has been designed to be drunk unaged, so producers don’t need to find as much space to store it, either.
All prosecco comes from northern Italy – if it’s made anywhere else, it isn’t prosecco. Most are made from 100% glera grapes, a local variety.
Your prosecco bottle will be labelled as either DOC or DOCG. Both are designations of origin, though DOCG wines follow extra strict standards. These wines are usually more expensive than DOC wines, but they don’t necessarily taste better. That will depend on the individual brand and what you like.
We tasked drinks expert and writer Alicia Miller with picking her personal favourites — give ‘em a go and see if they tick your boxes, too.
La Gioiosa Brut Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore Millesimato
- La Gioiosa Brut Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG Superiore Millesimato, £9.49 (was £13.49) from Waitrose Cellar – buy here
La Gioiosa has been around a while – its owners, the Moretti Polegato family, have been making prosecco for generations and have picked up awards around the globe. So it’s no wonder that when I had friends around for a drink, this bottle evaporated almost instantly.
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Not too sweet, but generous in apple flavour and floral aromas, it has the freshness that all good proseccos should have. But there’s also a rich, toasty quality that means it could pair nicely with fish or chicken, so don’t keep it just for aperitifs.
All that complexity is down to the quality of the fruit being used, and how it’s treated. This is a DOCG wine, and the grapes are sourced exclusively from the dramatically hilly Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region.
Once picked, the fruit is crushed gently in a special press, and then fermented at a low temperature to preserve all those bright flavours. The finished product is, as the Italians say, bellissimo.
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Morrisons The Best Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG
- Morrisons The Best Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG, £10 from Morrisons – buy here
I think Morrison’s has a real winner in this delicious classic prosecco – especially given you can sometimes snap it up on sale for a mere £10.
And I’m not the only one that thinks so. This wine, a DOCG prosecco made from grapes sourced from the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene regions, has hoovered up the medals at prestigious booze competitions, including the Decanter World Wine Awards.
It’s smooth-drinking and classic in flavour: think pear, apple and white blossom. Textbook prosecco joy.
Finally, and this is the bit where I sound snobby: it doesn’t actually look like a supermarket own brand. With that classy black and gold label, and subtle Morrisons ‘The Best’ roundel, it looks like something from a swish indie wine merchant. The perfect wallet-friendly party gift.
Adami Bosco di Gica
- Adami Bosco di Gica, £19.94 from Master of Malt – buy here
As far as proseccos go, this bottle is an investment. But I do think you get what you pay for here: it takes prosecco to a whole new level.
If you find most proseccos taste too sweet – or you’re not a big fan of their characteristic orchard fruit and blossom aromas – this one might change your mind. It’s clean and light with a notable dryness and complexity. Class in a glass.
The secret might be the addition of a bit of chardonnay, along with the usual glera grapes. That little twist, in my opinion, makes it an especially good pairing for a lovely seafood starter of prawns or oysters.
Mionetto Prosecco Rosé DOC
- Mionetto Prosecco Rosé DOC, £8.95 (was £10.95) from Slurp – buy here
If you haven’t tried pink prosecco yet, you’ve not been living under a rock – it’s only been a ‘thing’ since late 2020. Or officially a thing, that is. Northern Italian winemakers have been making pink fizz for years, but it’s only now they’re legally allowed to call it prosecco rosé.
Anyway, if you’re going to take the plunge and try one – and I recommend that you do – then this is a great starter option. It’s light on pink character and has picked up a few awards already.
What you’ll get here is all the freshness of normal prosecco but with a subtle strawberry and grapefruit kick. Refined stuff to bring, say, to a Sunday lunch or baby shower. Or, given it’s a very reasonable £8.95, to crack open on a Friday night.
Castellore Organic Prosecco
- Castellore Organic Prosecco, £7.99 from Aldi – buy here
Organic wines usually cost a little bit more than others. And rightly so: they’re made from good-for-the-environment organic grapes, which can be tricky to grow. Producers have all sorts of extra challenges with pests and weather, and often have smaller crop yields.
What’s amazing about this prosecco from Aldi, though, is that even though it’s organic it’s super affordable. No pesticides or herbicides have been used in the vineyards and, as an added bonus, the grapes have been mostly hand-picked to ensure only the best are crushed and vinified.
I wouldn’t hesitate to bring this prosecco to a dinner party – everyone will think it costs twice the price. They’ll think it tastes twice the price too, thanks to the wine’s light, extra-dry character and notes of apple and honeycomb.
Della Vite Prosecco Treviso D.O.C
- Della Vite Prosecco Treviso D.O.C, £19.99 from Master of Malt – buy here
Some celebrity wines are all marketing. But this premium prosecco, founded by supermodel Cara Delevingne and sisters Chloe and Poppy, is genuinely well-made and delicious.
Of course, the Delevingnes have rightly left the winemaking itself to the experts: the well-established Foss Marai in Valdobbiadene. The family-run estate has made cracking sparklers for decades and uses sustainable practices in their winery.
A floral fizz with nutty undertones and creamy bubbles, this prosecco is definitely a cut above the usual. So is the branding, which I must say, I’m slightly obsessed with. Della Vite – which means ‘from the vine’ and sounds so handily like ‘Delevingne’ – has a logo designed by Poppy and a luxurious-feeling bottle. Gift alert!
Waitrose Blueprint Prosecco DOC
- Waitrose Blueprint Prosecco DOC, £7.99 from Waitrose Cellar – buy here
Hats off to Waitrose for this balanced, fruity prosecco that comes in at the sub-£8 mark. That’s pretty impressive pricing, even among the supermarket own brands.
Despite its generous apple and almond character, the wine still has a distinct freshness. Take one sip, and you immediately want another. Interestingly, when I served this to a sauvignon blanc-loving friend, they told me it reminded them of their beloved zesty grape.
M&S Prosecco Rose Brut 2020
- M&S Prosecco Rose Brut 2020, £60 for six bottles at M&S – buy here
Here’s another cracking rosé prosecco, made with glera grapes and a dash of pinot noir. This time, from the wine folk at Marks and Sparks.
If you like a fruity wine, this fizz is for you – distinct strawberry and raspberry flavours waft from the glass. There’s no mistaking this pink fizz for regular prosecco.
Even though this is an Italian wine, it reminds me of English summertime. It must be those strawberry notes. So, when the sun eventually comes out, I’ll be taking this to a park picnic with friends. Or a refined afternoon tea session: strawberry jam, luscious cream and fluffy scones will be heavenly with this fruity fizz.
But before that, I'll be sipping this on NYE because it's just that delicious.
Freixenet Prosecco DOC
- Freixenet Prosecco DOC, £10 (was £12) from Waitrose Cellar – buy here
This glass-cut bottle alone is a stunner. It adds a sense of occasion to your prosecco-sipping session, even if you’re just enjoying it on the sofa chatting with a mate.
What’s inside is very drinkable too. If you’re a cava fan you may recognise the Freixenet name from its super-popular black Cordon Negro bottles, sold pretty much everywhere. Obviously the company knows a thing or two about making a good sparkling wine.
This, however, is very much a prosecco. Light and citrussy, it’s equal parts refreshing and fruity, with lively bubbles. You don’t get much more classic than that.
Artigianale Prosecco
- Artigianale Prosecco, £15 from Master of Malt – buy here
Looking for a prosecco that has been made with proper thought for the environment? This is it.
There’s a long list of ways this prosecco is sustainable ‘from top to bottom’, as Artigianale puts it. The grapes are grown organically, without pesticides. The bottle is lightweight, made from 80% recycled glass. The label is printed with organic ink, and the winery is fuelled by renewable energy.
It’s not solely about the environment though. By using organic grapes and traditional production methods, and keeping sugar and sulfur levels low, the idea is that this is also a pure expression of the flavours of the vineyard.
And, I think it’s delicious. It’s got a plentiful green apple character and is noticeably dry. A dreamy aperitif.
How many calories in a bottle of prosecco?
There isn’t a fixed number of calories in a bottle of prosecco. The level will depend on the particular alcohol content of the wine and its sweetness level.
Pure alcohol has a lot of calories, so if you are trying to watch your intake choosing a prosecco with a lower ABV (alcohol by volume) may help. Most bottles come in at between 10.5% to 12% ABV. All wines will state their alcohol content on the label.
Drier proseccos can contain as little as half the calories of sweeter ones. Look for ‘brut nature’ or ‘extra brut’ on the label for minimal amounts of residual sugar. Slightly confusingly, those called ‘extra dry’ actually contain *more* sugar, and so often more calories.
On average, a 750ml bottle of prosecco might contain around 500 calories, but to be sure check with the individual producer. For example, the M&S Brut Rose listed above has 85kcal per 125ml glass, so will contain 510kcal per bottle.
Does prosecco go off?
Unlike some wines, prosecco is designed to be drunk young rather than aged. If left unopened in a dark, cool place with the bottle on its side, prosecco will stay at its fresh and fruity best for a year or two.
After that, while it will be safe to drink, you might find that the bright, delicate flavours that make prosecco so enjoyable start to fade or change. This will depend on the individual wine, and exactly how carefully you’ve stored it.
If you’re unsure, don’t just chuck it down the sink – give it a taste. If you find you aren’t quite happy with it sipped straight, it still might be tasty mixed into a sparkling cocktail.
How long does prosecco last?
Once opened, prosecco doesn’t last long. The bubbles will start to fade as soon as the cork is popped – within hours they can be gone entirely. And because a lot of the point of drinking prosecco is the bubbles, you should enjoy it before they disappear.
To maintain the bubbles in your open bottle of prosecco as long as possible, keep the bottle cool and only top up your glass when you are ready to drink. The more air and heat the wine is exposed to, the quicker it will go flat.
You can buy sparkling wine stoppers to plug into your bottle of prosecco, and these are great at keeping it fizzy, sometimes for as long as a few days. Put the stopper on as soon as possible after opening and then pop the bottle in the fridge. Ideally, finish it with 24 hours to enjoy it at its best.
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