Best supermarket prosecco for Christmas celebrations, handpicked by experts

Sparkly Christmas parties, indulgent festive feasts and perhaps one too many hangovers, December is all about raising a glass with your nearest and dearest – and chances are it will be a flute of fizz. Thankfully, you needn’t dig into your gifting budget for a premium quality bottle, as the supermarkets are brimming with sommelier-approved proseccos.

Hailing from the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in north eastern Italy, prosecco’s production is protected by DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status and each fizz must be made with at least 85 per cent of the glera grape. Prosecco uses a similar process to champagne – the Charmat winemaking method – and is produced in a dry style, but the fizz has a surprisingly sweet flavor thanks to the grapes’ fruity notes of green apple, honeydew melon, pear and honeysuckle. “It's fresh, crisp, easy-drinking and often a little sweeter than champagne, which appeals to a lot of consumers,” Katie Brook, wine critic, says.

It’s become somewhat synonymous with festivities, whether it’s a fizz-fueled dinner with friends, a mimosa at breakfast on Christmas day or the open-bar at the office party. Most of us get our prosecco at the supermarket, but with so much choice it can be overwhelming when deciding which bottle to pick up. Which region should you look for? Is a £5.99 prosecco too good to be true? What classification is best?

“When I’m shopping for prosecco at the supermarket, I always look for brut styles and DOCG labels like asolo or conegliano-valdobbiadene” Gemma Boucher, wine consultant and writer, advices. “These tend to offer more freshness, finesse, and complexity compared to basic prosecco DOC.”

On her recent trip to Italy, wine critic Katie Brook tasted tested a wide range of prosecco styles available, “ranging from brut nature (a very dry style with no added sugar) to extra dry (a sweeter style, which is what we usually see in the UK).” Elly Owen, sommelier and wine educator, explains: “Prosecco can come from a rather large area of land, so looking for regional specifics can help make sure you are getting a wine that is made to a higher quality standard.”

Some regions are more desirable than others, including Cartizze. “Its hillsides, which are within valdobbiadene, are home to some of the most illustrious vineyards in the world,” Owen says. Brook’s also recommends this very small area, which is often dubbed the ‘Grand Cru’ vineyard of valdobbiadene. “It’s where exceptional bottles come from – and, surprisingly, prosecco labelled conegliano-valdobbiadene isn't actually that hard to find in the supermarkets,” she adds.

To help you stock up on the right bottles for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations, I asked wine experts and sommeliers their favourite proseccos from the supermarket, from Aldi to M&S. For more expert-approved tipples, I’ve also uncovered the best supermarket champagne, best supermarket wine and best supermarket whisky.

Meet the experts

Emilee Tombs is assistant travel editor at The Independent and holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. She has written for a number of wine publications, from Noble Rot to Ocado Life magazine.

Gemma Boucher is a qualified wine consultant and writer, who works with English vineyards and merchants to champions lesser-known wine regions, under-the-radar producers and sustainable practices.

Katie Brook is a journalist with a specialism in wine and a decade of experience as a wine reviewer. She is the founder of Run To Wine, a London- and Surrey-based running club that ends its sessions with a wine tasting.

Elly Owen is a freelance sommelier, Dip WSET and wine educator who works to make wine accessible for everyone. Having worked with the likes of Jamie Oliver and Paul Ainsworth to dispel some of the myths surrounding wine, she regularly hosts masterclasses.