Prosecco Ratings Archives

You might have your perfect Valentine’s Day gift purchased and wrapped, cocktails ready to be mixed and dinner all planned out (word of advice: just add caviar), but to really amp up the romance, you’re going to need some bubbles. This year, consider Prosecco. It’s elegant, pairs beautifully with favorite Valentine’s Day dishes and can match a wide array of price points and taste preferences. “Prosecco is an ever-evolving category of wine within the Italian sparkling wine world,” says Writer-at-Large Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast’s resident Italian wine reviewer. “It has truly become the world's sparkling wine, from fresh, fruity and easy to complex and mineral-driven wines.” This versatility is just one reason why sales have been skyrocketing. In 2022, 638.5 million bottles of Prosecco were sold according to the Prosecco DOC, adding up to a total value of more than 3 billion euros. The holiday of love is a huge driver—for good reason, says Porter: “As we near Valentine's Day, Prosecco offers an array of styles to impress those closest to you and provides a Quality Price Ratio (QPR) that is hard to beat in the world of sparkling wine.” So, whether you plan to have yourself a solo glass, pair it with a romantic dinner for two or create a cocktail for a girl’s night in (like this Venice-style Prosecco spritz or a classic mimosa) there’s a bottle of Prosecco to enhance your Valentine’s Day. What Is Prosecco? Any wine labeled with the DOC Prosecco is a sparkling wine that comes from the Veneto region in the northeast of Italy. It is produced from a base wine made with a grape variety called Glera. This base wine is usually—but not always—fermented in a tank (through a process called the Charmat method) to create a sparkling wine that can be brut, dry or off-dry. A bottle typically has apple, lemon, stone fruit and melon flavors, but some styles of Prosecco offer other notes. Good examples include bottle-fermented Col Fondo wines, which have recently captured Porter’s attention, he says, “as the wines present an intense savory quality that makes the wine not only good for apero but for the main course as well.” For more information, check out our guide to everything to know about Prosecco. The Best Prosecco Bottles for Valentine's Day Our Wine Enthusiast Tasting Department breaks down some of our current favorites to pop this Valentine’s Day that match whatever kind of evening you have ahead of you. Best Col Fondo: UDO Cajvo Col Fondo Brut Nature Best Prosecco to Pair with Steak: Le Colture 2022 Rosé Brut Sparkling (Prosecco Treviso) Best Dry: Ruggeri & C. NV Brut Best Crowd-Pleasing Prosecco: BiancaVigna NV Brut Best Prosecco to Pair with Seafood: Masottina NV Contradagranda Extra Dry Best Budget Prosecco: Domini del Leone NV Frizzante Col Fondo Organic Best Prosecco to Drink Straight: Le Vigne di Alice 2022 Doro Nature Millesimato Brut Rosé Proseccos Best Rosé Prosecco: Ruggeri & C. 2022 Brut Rosé Best Prosecco for a Cocktail: Da Luca 2021 Rosé Brut Sparkling FAQs How Do You Choose a Good Prosecco? Just like any other bottle of wine, choosing a “good” bottle of Prosecco is based on your taste preferences, price point and purpose of buying. “Buy your Prosecco according to how you enjoy your still wines,” explains Wine Enthusiast Tasting Director Anna-Christina Cabrales. “If you enjoy a drier style, look for 'brut' on the label. For a sweeter option, pick up bottles that have 'dry' or 'demi-sec.'” How Much Does a Decent Bottle of Prosecco Cost? Prices vary, but Cabrales says you can get a pretty decent bottle for around $15. Is Prosecco Best Served Chilled? Sparkling wines are most often served chilled, between 41 and 45°F. Then, pour it into a wine flute or white wine glass to help preserve the bubbles, Cabrales says. How Is Prosecco Different from Other Sparkling Wines? Prosecco is made in a specific DOC region and is often fermented in a tank (which is different from other sparkling wine methods). It comes from a base wine made from Glera grapes. Other varieties of sparkling wines like Moscato, Champagne or Cava come from different regions, use different base wines and may have different techniques for fermenting. If you’re looking for other options to try, we recommend these Italian sparkling wines. What Is the Best Prosecco for a Mimosa or Aperol Spritz? You’ll want to look for an option with some residual sugar, suggests Cabrales. She recommends picking up a bottle of extra-dry or dry Prosecco for a perfect pairing. Why You Should Trust Us All products featured here are independently selected by our team, which is comprised of experienced writers and wine tasters and overseen by editorial professionals at Wine Enthusiast headquarters. All ratings and reviews are performed blind in a controlled setting and reflect the parameters of our 100-point scale. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment to conduct any product review, though we may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this site. Prices were accurate at the time of publication.

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