Spar's £10 prosecco named best own-brand Italian fizz in UK

It beat much larger supermarket chains to the top spot

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A £10 bottle of prosecco sold by corner shop chain Spar has been named the best own-brand Italian fizz in the UK.

The Valdobbiadene DOCG scored one per cent higher than the bottles in joint second place to take the top spot.

The rankings were decided in a blind taste test by an independent panel of experts convened by the consumer group Which?.

Experts judging the various bottles of bubbly scored Spar’s prosecco 78 per cent and it was praised for its “pleasant balance” and “savoury style” by one of the five judges, Charles Metcalfe, of the International Wine Challenge.

It has flavours of pear and white peach, the judges said.

Just behind Spar’s offering in joint second place were Asda’s £6.50 Fillipo Sansovino Prosecco and Waitrose’s £10.99 San Leo Brut NV, both of which scored 77 per cent.

In bottom place was Aldi’s £7.99 Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore, which came out with a rating of 66 per cent.

The winning Spar prosecco

Nikki Stopford, director of research at Which?, said: “It just goes to show you don’t have to be a leading supermarket to achieve a Which? best buy accolade.

“You can now enjoy a glass of best buy Christmas fizz from your local Spar, so get yours while stocks last.

“Shoppers can be confident of getting the best quality prosecco to enjoy over the festive period, knowing it has been independently tasted by the Which? panel of experts.”

The panel also conducted a champagne taste test.

Veuve Clicquot’s Yellow Label came out on top, which was the most expensive bottle at £39.

The expert judges commended it for its “rich and opulent style”, adding that it was nicely balanced and had “good length of flavour.”