Christmas taste test: Prosecco under £10

by Great British Chefs 11 November 2016

Stocking up on fizz for the upcoming festivities? See which bottles ranked highest in our blind tasting of the best bottles of Prosecco for under a tenner.

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Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Poor us – spending a Friday evening at work cracking open ten bottles of bubbly and working through the arduous task of putting together tasting notes for each one, just to make sure you know which ones to pick for your own Christmas celebrations. Once again, it seems the discount supermarkets are doing everything they can to prove their low prices don’t necessarily mean poor quality (just take a look at our mince pie and smoked salmon taste tests for further proof). Here are the bottles that gained the highest scores among our tasting team.

Runner-up: Asda Extra Special Prosecco NV, £8.25

Heavy on the apple flavours, Asda’s Prosecco might be non-vintage but it provided an incredibly clean finish that left us all wanting more. It’s a very refreshing Prosecco, making it perfect for drinking as an aperitif, and its light sparkle and clean, bold flavour makes it a real crowd-pleaser.

Available from Asda.

Christmas taste test: mince pies

by Great British Chefs

Christmas taste test: smoked salmon

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Runner-up: Bollicina Prosecco NV Magnum, £14.99

OK, so this isn’t strictly under £10, but as it’s a magnum and therefore double the size of all the other bottles, it works out at £7.50 per 75cl. The bottle alone is incredible value, making you feel like some sort of oligarch or high flying business man as you grasp it, but the wine inside tastes pretty good, too. With a lighter sparkle than the others and strong citrus notes, it’s certainly not to be sniffed at.

Available from Iceland.

Runner-up: Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco Superiore, £10

Fresh green apples hit you straight away with this very vibrant and fruity bottle. It verges on the drier side of the spectrum, with a crisp finish and particularly fine bubbles which create a lovely texture on the tongue. Instead of the more common apple flavours, this wine is more reminiscent of pears and the flavour lasts long after each sip.

Available from Sainsbury’s.

Runner-up: Allini Prosecco Spumante, £5.29

As the cheapest out of all ten bottles we tested, there were surprises all round when Lidl’s Prosecco was revealed as a finalist. Value for money aside, the crisp, effervescent and sweet flavour pleased all palates, making this a great choice if you’re looking for a few cases to cover all bases for unexpected guests, Christmas parties and late night ‘let’s just have one more bottle’ situations.

Available from Lidl.

Special mention: Botter Casa di Malia Organic NV Prosecco, £9.95

Prosecco cocktail

Recipe Collection

While this bottle polarised opinion with some saying it was more like cider than Prosecco, those that did like it were big fans of the sweet cooked apple flavours and almost caramel-like sweetness. And if for some reason you’re unable to polish off the bottle in one sitting, it comes complete with a swing-top cap so you can put it back in the fridge after a glass or two.

Available from 31dover.com.

Overall winner: Aldi Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, £7.49

Sweet, peachy, floral, crisp – just a few of the words used to describe Aldi’s own Christmas Prosecco. The honeyed notes meant it was particularly popular with the sweet-toothed among us, but it was the balance of acidity, fruit and bubbles that really won everyone over. And as the second cheapest on our list, it’s incredibly good value.

Available from Aldi.