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Best Prosecco in the UK: Where to buy the best affordable fizz

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Is there any sound more pleasing than the cheerful pop of a Prosecco cork?

Whether you’re marking a special occasion or simply raising a well-deserved glass to the weekend, the sparkling Italian wine is one of our favourite tipples to toast the good times.

It’s easy to see why; it’s more forgiving on finances than Champagne and pleasant to sip on its own or with food and friends. Prosecco is also lighter on calories, at roughly 80cal per flute although of course, this differs from bottle to bottle.

Where does Prosecco come from?

While a bottle of bubbles can only be called Champagne if it’s made in the prestigious French region of the same name, so to only Italian-grown grapes can be called Prosecco.

Ditto Spain’s Cava must be made on the Iberian peninsula. All are made in very similar ways, but what differs is the taste of the grape and of course the location of the vineyards in which they grew.

Typically made in a north-eastern corner of Italy, Prosecco comes in various degrees of fizziness – spumante (sparkling), frizzante (semi-sparkling) and tranquilo (still).

How can you tell it's genuine Prosecco?

You’ll often find the letters DOC or DOCG stamped on the label of a bottle of Prosecco.

Top pub quiz fact: these letters are to guarantee the high quality of the sparkling elixir within. Translated from Italian, DOCG is short for Denomination of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin, while DOC stands for Denomination of Controlled Origin. Both are there to reassure drinkers that the Prosecco they’re sipping is the real deal.

But which one is the best? That’s the crucial information we’re here to determine, once and for all.

We rounded up some of the best supermarket and food hall Proseccos, all available to shop online for the ultimate in convenience, to find the king of a drink colloquially known to some in the UK as prosexy.

After a gruelling taste test, helped by 16 of the finest set of taste buds in the ES office, the numbers have been crunched and the findings are in.

Read on to see the results of the Best Prosecco to Buy Online

M&S Conte Priuli ORO Prosecco

There’s no denying that this golden bottle makes an impression from the get-go, making it an impressive gift for weddings and birthdays.

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Best reviewer quote: Our reviewers adored the bouji bottle, saying it has a “classic Prosecco taste” and likened it to a “Granny Smith, extra dry”.

Estimated price: £20.

Average rating: 9 out of 10. Take a bow, M&S.

£10 each | M&S

Organic Prosecco

Sourced from a family-run vineyard just outside Venice, the grapes in this bottle were handpicked and grown free from pesticides and herbicides.

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Best reviewer quote: “Tastes more like Champagne than Prosecco.” Not a bad thing.

Estimated price: £10, a couple of quid over the actual price, so this bottle tastes of more expensive than it actually is - win!

Average rating: at 8, this bottle fared particularly well with our hand-selected ES taste team.

£7.99 | Aldi

Allini Prosecco Spumante

This ‘easy-drinking’ Prosecco was made in Veneto, Italy and according to Lidl, pairs well with bruschetta and east Asian cuisine.

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Best reviewer quote: “Fruity overtone and a lively finish on the tongue”

Estimated price: £11.99, double the actual price.

Average rating: doing well at 7.

£5.99 | Lidl

Fillipo Sansovino Valdobbiadene Prosecco

The complex flavours within this unusually-shaped bottle set it apart from the competition. 11.5 per cent ABV.

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Best reviewer quote: “Could drink this for days” High praise indeed.

Estimated price: £9.15.

Average rating: Scoring 7, this was at the better end of our taste test table.

£10 | Asda

Mionetto MO Collection Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry

With a history dating back to 1887, Mionetto is one of the finest winemakers Italy has to offer. This extra-dry 11 per cent ABV bottle is a legacy of its expertise.

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Best reviewer quote: “Nice refined taste, would serve to the in-laws during an awkward dinner party”. Sounds like a winner in our book.

Estimated price: £9.

Average rating: out of a possible 10, this scored a very respectable 7.

£12 | Sainsbury’s

Prosecco Superiore DOCG

Light with the flavour of ripe Autumn fruits, this sparkling Prosecco is purported to have a creamy taste.

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Best reviewer quote: “Perfect for a boozy day at the races.”

Estimated price: this averaged at £9.50, tasting slightly more expensive than the RRP.

Average rating: 7.

£7.49 | Aldi

Tesco Finest Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG

With grapes plucked from the finest vineyards in the heart of Italy's Prosecco region, this bottle is lovely with canapès and summer puddings.

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Best reviewer quote: “A decent amount of fizz, honey taste. Brace for a hangover the morning after.”

Estimated price: our reviewers thought this tasted like an £8.50 bottle, on average.

Average rating: a good rating, but not as high as expected at 6.5.

£10 | Tesco

ASDA Extra Special Prosecco Asolo Brut DOCG

Floral and fruity, this is an impressive-looking bottle to take to a party.

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Best reviewer quote: A rather middle-of-the-road “nutty but nice.”

Estimated price: £6.31.

Average rating: Scoring a good 6.5.

£7 | Asda

Tesco Dino Prosecco DOC

Fruit and lemony, Tesco suggests this Prosecco is recommended to be drunk alongside a fresh fruit salad.

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Best reviewer quote: One person said this tasted “like a spring meadow – lovely!” while another said it would be a suitable gift for a colleague… but not for themselves.

Estimated price: At £6.55, our reviewers’ average guess was just £1 out.

Average rating: Although this bottle divided opinion, the average score was 6.

£7.50 | Tesco

M&S Prosecco

A vibrant refreshing bottle, this Prosecco is made with 100 per cent Glera grapes.

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Best reviewer quote: Another bottle to split the opinion of our focus group, one said it was “a bit like cardboard, but improves as you go”, while another declared it their favourite of all the ones they tried.

Estimated price: £6.18.

Average rating: 6.

£8 | M&S

Prosecco Spumante Conegliano

The award-winning bottle was made from a 2017 Veneto grape harvest and is 11 per cent ABV.

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Best reviewer quote: “Nicely balanced with a fizzy aftertaste”

Estimated price: £7.80, 19 pence off target.

Average rating: just shy of ‘okay’ at 5.5.

£7.99 | Lidl

Harvey Nichols Prosecco

Produced by the Sorelle Bronca estate, this bottle is said to be ideal with light snacks or drunk unsullied all by itself.

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Best reviewer quote: One of our esteemed reviewers branded this “apple-juice like, PG13”. However, another said it was a classic Prosecco.

Estimated price: £7.43.

Average rating: 5.

£16 | Harvey Nichols

Morrisons The Best Valdobbiadene Prosecco 75cl

Made with a two-grape blend, this bottle of bubbles is suitable for vegans.

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Best reviewer quote: the best thing someone said about this bottle was that it “looks spenny”. The worst? “I’ve drunk 15 at this point, and they all taste the same now.” We did say it was a gruelling test.

Estimated price: £7.

Average rating: 5.

£8 | Morrisons

Selfridges Selection Prosecco

Made under the shadow of the mighty Dolomites, this own-brand bottle from one of the UK's best food halls is perfect for celebrations.

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Best reviewer quote: “Dry and sour tasting” from one reviewer "refreshingly crisp" from another, this was something of a Marmite Prosecco.

Estimated price: £9.11.

Average rating: 4 out of 10.

£13.99 | Selfridges

Verdict

Marking out of a top score of 10, six of the bottles in our taste test scored 7 or higher, making them Best picks. M&S’s Conte Priuli ORO Prosecco not only looks the part but tastes amazing too, making it a worthy gift for someone special or to pop at a party. Contenders from Aldi, Asda and Sainsbury’s were also extremely impressive.