Ten of the world’s best Proseccos for under £15

We bring you ten of the best-performing Proseccos under £15 from The Drinks Business Prosecco Masters 2017 – and one affordable example from the region’s prized Cartizze hill. By Lauren Eads and Patrick Schmitt MW.

Over the following pages we have selected the cream of the crop among the sub-£15 samples from our Prosecco Masters 2017 – highlighting the quality available at lower price points.

Each of these sparkling wines has achieved a Gold medal in the competition, which is a highly impressive accolade due to the rigorous nature of our judging process and the exacting palates of our judges – who are listed below.

The ten Proseccos that feature come from a range of areas within the extensive zone that produces this distinctive Italian style of fizz.

We have also included one rare, affordable example from the ‘Superiore di Cartizze’, which is a hill within the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG that is famous for producing the most concentrated expression of Prosecco – and often too, the sweetest, as well as the priciest.

Notably, nearly all the Proseccos that feature in this list are classified as Extra Dry, meaning that they all contain between 12 and 17 grams per litre of sugar. (Somewhat confusingly, Extra Dry is used to indicate a sweeter style of fizz than Brut, which is used for Proseccos that have 12g/l of sugar or lower).

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PROSECCO

In essence, the results of extensive Prosecco tastings by db show that the ‘sweet spot’ for this Italian fizz appears to be the Extra Dry category, particularly those examples with around 15g/l of residual sugar. Drier styles of Prosecco can also be delicious, but they must contain enough of the ripe peachy fruit that makes this type of fizz so popular.

As previously reported by the drinks business, this year’s Prosecco Masters results that showed that despite the rapid expansion in the sector, quality across the board has risen, with the wines having improved since 2016’s competition.

Each of these wines were been judged blind, allowing our experts to asses them purely for quality without prejudice about their brand.

The Proseccos were tasted over the course of one day at Café Murano in London’s Covent Garden on 15 March 2017.

While this is just a selection of the top-performers for under £15, you can see all the medal-winners in The Drinks Business Prosecco Masters by clicking here.

The judges in 2017’s Prosecco Masters (left to right): Anthony Foster MW, Jonathan Pedley MW; Nick Tatham MW; Roberto della Pietra; Patricia Stefanowicz MW; Patrick Schmitt MW; Alex Canetti

10. Botter, Prosecco DOC, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx. £11 (UK retail)

Sugar content: 15g/l

The taste: Orchard fruit aromatics lead to flavours of peach and ginger and a touch of white pepper. The fizz has a creamy mousse and a slight sweetness, along with a refreshing finish.

9. Castello di Roncade, Prosecco DOC, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx. £11

Sugar content: 18g/l

The taste: An impressive Prosecco with plenty of peach and an appealing honeyed sweetness, balanced by a fresh finish and mouth-cleansing creamy mousse.

8. Giusti, Rosalia, Prosecco DOC Treviso, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx. £14

Sugar content: 15g/l

The taste: Hailing from Giusti’s Rosalia estate, this Prosecco is dominated by refreshing apple and pear fruit, with a hint of citrus zest and crusty bread. Finishing bright and dry, it’s an ideal Prosecco for pre-dinner drinking under the sun.

7. Fiol, Prosecco DOC, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £14

Sugar content: 16g/l

The taste: A bright and fruity fizz with apple and peach fruit flavours, a creamy texture, along with a touch of sweetness, nicely balanced by a zesty finish.

6. Raphael dal Bo, Prosecco DOC Treviso, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £14

Sugar content: 17g/l

The taste: A full-flavoured Prosecco with orchard fruits and ripe peach, along with a gently honeyed floral note. A pleasing slightly sweet style of fizz with masses of character and just enough zest to keep you refreshed.

5. I Magredi, Ca’ Lisetta, Prosecco DOC, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £10

Sugar content: 13g/l

The taste: Bursting with peachy aromas and flavours of pear sorbet, this Prosecco has plenty of ripe fruit balanced by a mouth-watering dry, fresh finish. A benchmark Prosecco for the price.

4. Vinicola Serena, Prosecco DOC Treviso, Millesimato, Ville D’Arfanta, Extra Dry, 2016

2015 vintage pictured

The style: DOC

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £11

Sugar content: 16g/l

The taste: Peach and pineapple flavours intermingle with ripe pear in this pleasing, balanced Prosecco, which combines a fruity sweetness with lovely apple crispness.

3. Giusti, Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Extra Dry, NV

The style: DOCG

The medal: Gold

The price: £10-15

Sugar content: 15g/l

The taste: A more delicate style of Prosecco, with apple and lime-zest aromatics, followed by a fuller palate with apple, peach, a touch of sweetness and then a lasting bright finish lifted by a hint of lemon peel. Elegant and moreish.

2. Conte Collalto, Collalto, Prosecco Superiore Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG, Extra Dry, 2016

The style: DOCG

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £15

Sugar content: 17g/l

The taste: A powerful Prosecco with masses of ripe peachy fruit and a Muscat-like grapey-floral character and sweetness. An indulgent style and a delicious, versatile fizz.

1. Val d’Oca, Uvaggio Storico, Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, 2015

The style: DOCG

The medal: Gold

The price: £10-15

Sugar content: 25g/l

The taste: A plush textured Prosecco with peach and butterscotch flavours that slowly fade to leave a palate-refreshing pretty lime-zest lift – perfect for those who like a fuller, sweeter style of fizz.

And finally… Astoria, Arzana, Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze, Dry, 2016

The style: Cartizze

The medal: Gold

The price: Approx £14

Sugar content: 22g/l

The taste: As expected of Cartizze, this is a fuller, sweeter style of Prosecco, rich in peachy fruit, dried apricots along with a hint marmalade, and a lick of lemon sherbert. This is an opulent and layered fizz, and, considering it comes from the valuable vineyards of Cartizze, a surprisingly good-value one too.