Prosecco
2018 GOLD: 4 SILVER: 9 BRONZE: 6 COMMENDED: 11
2017 GOLD: 3 SILVER: 5 BRONZE: 4 COMMENDED: 7
Prosecco is the wine equivalent of the Dan Brown novel: it might not have much in the way of critical credibility, but my god it’s popular. And much like the reply you’d receive if you asked a bookseller whether he’d rather have a prime shelf dedicated to the Da Vinci Code or Ulysses, so most somms will admit that prosecco has become a key building block on their wine list. Just not one that they’d drink themselves.
Or would they? The Bisol Cartizze was recognised by all who tasted it as several dozen notches above your bog-standard stuff and a useful trade-up option for engaged customers. Otherwise, the sweet spot here was, as usual, in the £7-£10 area, where (like it or not) there’s plenty of good stuff to be had.
An extra shout-out, too, to Soligo. In a large and consistently decent field it’s hard to stand out, but this is the third year on the trot they’ve managed a Gold medal.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘What’s confusing in prosecco is extra dry, which is sweeter. When you write things like that on menus people get confused.’ Charles Pashby-Taylor, consultant
‘We had more discussions about the premium end. There’s room for a rebranding of prosecco at the higher level, but for the time being I don’t really see it, unless you have an Italian wine list.’ Jacopo Mazzeo, The Pig Hotel
‘People order prosecco to buy a less expensive sparkling wine, they don’t care too much about the quality levels.’ Andrés Ituarte, Coq d’Argent
‘Consumers don’t understand that Valdobbiadene is a better-quality area. They’ve got a lot of work to do.’ Rémi Cousin, Le Gavroche
‘An extra dry prosecco at £13-£14 [trade price] is an impossible sell. It’s fundamentally a straightforward drink.’ James Franklin, Fenwick
‘Some people ask to have it with food – it’s transforming from an aperitif into part of the meal. This is one trend you can see.’ Christoph Hons, Park Chinois