Gone are the days when champagne lovers would flock to the Cava section of the shelf whenever they felt like a bit of budget booze - there’s a new favourite fizz in town, and it has got to be prosecco. In fact, prosecco has grown in popularity so much in the UK over the last few years that there’s now an entire day dedicated to the alcoholic beverage - and National Prosecco Day just happens to be today (August 13)!
To celebrate, we decided to taste test some of the leading supermarkets ’ own fizz, so you don’t need to waste your time deciding where to shop for the occasion, based on budget and flavour.
We tried Asda, Aldi, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and it has to be said, there was one clear winner, and we know where we’ll be shopping for our fizz from now on.
Asda - £5.99
Alongside Aldi, Asda’s fizz had the cheapest price tag at £5.99 - but as we know, price doesn’t necessarily reflect taste, so we were optimistic.
Sadly, that optimism was short-lived, as the supermarket’s own brand did not go down well among the team, receiving the fewest points and ranking in last place.
In fact, we were so displeased with the taste that there was even some of the bottle left over at the end, with the whole team agreeing it’s worth paying that extra few quid at the other supermarkets we tried.
However, we did suggest that it would be more than fine accompanied with orange juice for a bit of Bucks Fizz, or mixed in an Aperol Spritz - which certainly isn’t a bad thing.
One of the team said: "It tastes like it would give me a headache. I feel like I've been here before."
"It's extremely cheap and I didn't have high hopes - and I was right. If I was served this at a party I'd be swapping to a beer for my next drink. Sorry Asda," another added.
A third decided: "It's very pale in colour. It's not for me, it's far too sweet."
Score - 3/10
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Aldi - £5.99
Next up was Aldi, which came in at the same price point as Asda, but ended up being scored significantly higher.
We agreed that while the Aldi fizz was far from the best in taste, it could be a good option if you need to stock up on lots of bottles for a party and don’t want to spend too much, without disgusting all your guests.
Comments from the team ranged from: "It tastes a lot like the one I drink from the corner shop," to "it's not sweet enough."
Others complimented the fizz based on the fact, "it's not too sweet, it's not too bubbly and it's got a nice flavour."
"It's worlds apart from the Asda one which is the same price," another said, while someone else remarked: "You can't tell it's cheap because it's not really sweet. I would give it to fancy relatives as they wouldn't guess the bargain price."
Score - 5/10
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Tesco - £9.50, £7 with a Clubcard
If you’re ever in any doubt over whether you need a Clubcard, let this be your lesson - as Tesco’s own prosecco went down a hit with the team, and you can save an impressive £2.50 per bottle simply by having a card.
One person even listed this bottle as their favourite of all the supermarkets, remarking that out of all the different bottles, this one "tastes like what prosecco should taste like."
"I quite like it, it's not my favourite but it's a good drink," another dedicated taste-tester said, while a third concluded: "It's very smooth, dangerously smooth. You could easily drink a lot of it."
Score - 7/10
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Sainsbury's - £11
Sainsbury's own bottle of fizz came with a huge mix of reactions from the team of taste-testers, despite it having a fairly middle of the range price point at £11.
Some said it was too sweet while others argued it was "just the right amount of sweet," but this isn’t a fairytale and unlike porridge, Goldilocks is probably never going to find the ‘perfect’ bottle of prosecco.
"There's definitely an aftertaste but it's not unpleasant," one person said, while another tester added: "You can't drink it fast, it's not an easy drink - which is probably a good thing."
A third team member remarked: "It's almost floral but it's not very fizzy. It's a bit too sweet for me.
Score - 7.5/10
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M&S - £10
Last and certainly not least as Marks and Spencer, which took the top spot in our ranking of supermarket proseccos.
At just 10 quid a bottle, you really can’t knock the M&S fizz taste, with the majority of our team agreeing it was the best.
Let’s be honest though, it’s not just any prosecco, it’s M&S prosecco - what else would you expect?
"It does what it says on the tin, it's a crowd pleaser. It's not too sweet but not too dry," one person concluded, while another added: "This one tastes like the prosecco you drink at bottomless brunches, but better."
"It feels more like a party! You would drink it on New Year's Eve," - or on National Prosecco Day perhaps?
"It goes down easily. It's a reliable bottle. You could take it to someone's house and they would be pretty happy," another commented.
Score - 9/10
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