Prosecco beats Champagne for value

Prosecco is continuing to win the hearts of UK consumers with 95% regarding it as “very good” and beating Champagne in the value stakes, according to a report by Wine Intelligence.

Its report into sparkling wine in the UK market revealed that 52% of Prosecco drinkers regarded the Italian fizz as “very good value”, more than twice the figure for Champagne.

Just  25% of those surveyed considered Champagne to be “very good value”, with 58% regarding it as “good value” – a combined score of 83%.

One in ten Champagne drinkers regard the French fizz as being poor value for money, compared to just one in 100 Prosecco drinkers.

In terms of quality perceptions, 67% regarded Prosecco as being high quality, a score on a par with rosé Champagne, but behind Champagne which scored 81%.

Richard Halstead, chief operating officer of Wine Intelligence, said: “It’s no secret that Prosecco has captured the imagination of sparkling wine drinkers in the UK but this report fills in the gaps to help us understand why.”

“Prosecco has managed to hit the perfect balance, offering a perception of quality and value for money without being perceived as too cheap, an image problem that has befallen some other sparkling wine types.”

Rising sales of Prosecco in the UK has helped the country become the fastest growing of the top 10 world markets for sparkling wine. The Italian sparkler achieved a 74.6% uplift in UK sales in the year to 20 July 2014, while global sales of Prosecco overtook those of Champagne for the first time in 2013.

For an in depth analysis on the category, and discussion on whether the Prosecco boom could be set to burst, click here.