Bubbles at bargain prices to beat PROSECCO
OVer recent years, prosecco’s popularity with British women has risen like fizz in a glass. Sales topped £500 million last year, with more of us popping a prosecco cork than ever.
But our love affair with the fizzy stuff could be nearing an end. experts warned last week that the weak pound, high inflation and potential alcohol duty hikes could see prices rise by 59p a bottle.
So, how are we going to feed our growing prosecco habit?
Well, one supermarket claims to have the answer. Asda has launched a cheaper sparkling wine from a blend of glera, the prosecco grape, and pinot grigio. Progrigio costs just £5, but its makers claim it tastes just like the real deal.
It’s not the only sparkling wine hoping to ride on prosecco’s coat tails. exports of cremant, French bubbly made outside Champagne, rose by 50 per cent here last year.
So, are these alternative fizzes absolutely fabulous or do they fall flat? Femail’s wine expert HELEN McGINN puts them to the test.
SICKLY SWEET
Belletti Spumante Rose, £4.99, Aldi Candy floss pink fizz from Italy, this tastes like alcoholic strawberry juice with bubbles. There’s nothing subtle about it from the in-your-face colour to the bold flavours.
Cheap and cheerful, especially if you don’t like dry wines. A party starter, but it can leave you feeling as if you’ve been sucking boiled sweets. Keep cheesy snacks to hand.
SURPRISE BARGAIN
Progrigio, £5, Asda I Can’t lie; I didn’t have great expectations. The idea of a prosecco-pinot grigio mash-up sounded gimmicky.
I was pleasantly surprised. It’s more background music than main event, with nice pear flavours, gentle fizz and plenty of freshness. There’s a metallic note at the end, but I’ve tasted worse prosecco. not bad at all for a fiver.
GLASS OF JOY
Clairette de Die, £6.99, Lidl Not in every store but, if you find it, it’s worth sticking a bottle or two in the trolley.
From France’s rhone Valley, it’s soft and sherbety with a gorgeous gentle fizz.
With a fair bit of sweetness, it’s perfect as an aperitif before a dinner party. Or save it until pudding, especially if you’re serving fruit or meringue. A properly happy tipple.
OLDIE BUT GOODIE
Co-operative Cava Brut, £5.99, Co-op IT’S easy to forget about cava, the cheap alternative to champagne before it lost its crown to prosecco.
But as cava is made in the same way as champagne (it gets its sparkle from fermentation in the bottle), you get a lot of wine for your money. This one’s bang on — toasty, citrusy and crisp. And it’s a bargain.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Bright & Fruity Sparkling, £6.49, Waitrose This doesn’t have the magic P-word on the label, but it’s made from the same grape in the same place as prosecco.
Bright & Fruity might not have the same ring to it, but it does what it says on the label.
Simple fizz with soft red apple fruits. Add a dash of Campari for a quick and dirty cocktail.
PLAIN AND SIMPLE
Tesco Finest Pignoletto, £8 IT’S like a good prosecco in that it’s Italian, fresh and frothy. But it comes from a different area and is made from the pignoletto grape.
This fizz is made in emiliaromagna, a bit further south than prosecco. Like its neighbour, it’s produced in tanks rather than made in the bottle like champagne.
expect a simple, sherbety fizz and you won’t be disappointed. nicely packaged, too.