Prosecco is a popular choice for many throughout the year, so it’s no surprise that sales skyrocket during the festive season.
However, with grocery bills still high, no one wants to pay more than necessary, especially if you’re stocking up for guests and not even tasting the goods yourself.
That’s why we decided to conduct some festive research and compare the cheapest own-brand bottles from all the main supermarkets.
It takes more than one person to sample seven bottles, as the only proper way to compare them is to taste them simultaneously – or at least that’s what we told ourselves.
All bottles are the same size, 75cl or 750ml, and roughly the same strength, ranging from 10.5% volume to 11%. The bottles are all distinct, except for Aldi and Asda’s, which, with their similar striking yellow labels, are hard to differentiate.
Most of them are extra dry, our preferred fizz style, but there’s a variety of flavours on offer.
Some like to boast about their origins – like Sainsbury’s, which claims its Taste The Difference prosecco is ‘sourced from the only DOCG quality vineyards in the prized Conegliano area in north east Italy’ and M&S, which says its Conte Priuli, is ‘made exclusively for M&S in the north east of Italy from Glera grapes’.
I’m sure many people care about such details, but for us, it’s purely about the taste – and the price, of course.
Both of these options make for a delightful drink, and you wouldn’t be let down by either gracing your Christmas dinner table. They’re both priced the same too, with M&S charging a standard £7.50 and Sainsbury’s currently matching this price with a Nectar card.
The Morrisons option – from ‘the Best’ range – is another one ‘made with grapes sourced from two of the best regions, Conegliano and Valdobbiadene’.
It boasts a fine flavour and makes for a refreshing beverage, but at £9.50 a bottle, or £8 with a More Card, it leans towards the more expensive side.
Tesco’s Plaza Centro might just be the most effervescent of the lot, its citrus fruit flavours delivering a real kick, and you can truly savour the zesty lemon, pear and apple fruit flavours of Asda’s £6 budget purchase.
Lidl’s doesn’t quite hit the mark like the others.
It’s crisp and fresh, but leaves a somewhat acidic aftertaste. It would be easy to attribute that to the low price – with the Lidl Plus app it’s reduced from the usual £5.45 to £4.75.
It’s also offering a magnum for £12.99, although that works out pricier than two of the smaller bottles.
But there’s one that not only matches Lidl’s on price, but surpasses all of them in terms of taste and that’s Aldi’s Costellore Prosecco, which has also been reduced from £5.45 to £4.75, equating to just 79p per 125ml glass.
The fact I had to visit three stores to secure a bottle of it speaks volumes.
Boasting ‘aromas of peach and pear complemented by notes of apple’, this prosecco’s soft and fruity flavour sets it apart. With seven bottles on the table, it was the only one we wanted seconds of and is the one we’ll be stocking up on for the big day.
Here’s how supermarket proseccos stack up in terms of price: M&S at £7.50, Sainsbury’s at £9.75 (£7.50 with Nectar card), Tesco at £7, and Asda at £6.
