10 Best Prosecco Bottles To Buy In 2024 (Flavors, Styles, Winemaking)

Prosecco is Italy’s most popular sparkling wine and has a huge fan following around the world.

Besides tasting delightful on its own, Prosecco is also great in cocktails like Mimosa and Aperol Spritz.

Let’s explore the main Prosecco wine styles, what sets apart Prosecco from Champagne, the best Prosecco wines to buy in 2024, food pairings, and serving suggestions. 

We’ll also explore the main Prosecco wine regions, winemaking, and the origin story of this coveted sparkling white wine.

What is Prosecco?

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine named after the village Prosecco in Trieste, Italy.

Prosecco is made with the Glera grape variety (officially called Prosecco grape until 2009) in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in Northeastern Italy.

According to the DOC (denominazione di origine controllata) rules, Prosecco can also contain up to 15% of other grape varieties like:

• Chardonnay
• Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris)
• Perera
• Verdiso
• Pinot Noir
• Bianchetta Trevigiana
• Pinot Bianco

Here are the most exquisite Prosecco bottles you can treat yourself with.

10 Best Prosecco Bottles to Buy in 2024 (Tasting Notes and Prices)

The best Prosecco producers include:

• La Marca Prosecco
• Zonin
• Bisol
• Mionetto
• Ruffino Prosecco
• Riondo (extra dry Prosecco)
• And more!

Pick any of these Prosecco sparklers to add sparkle to any occasion:

1. 2007 Nino Franco Primo Franco Grave di Stecca Spumante Brut ($37)
2. 2014 Bisol Crede Brut ($31)
3. 2017 Ruggeri 'Vecchie Viti' Prosecco Brut ($20)
4. La Marca 'Luminore' Prosecco Superiore, Conegliano Valdobbiadene ($23)
5. NV Mionetto MO - Luxury Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Cartizze DOCG ($19)
6. 2020 Colesel 'Cartizze Brut' Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG ($22)
7. 2018 Bianca Vigna Millesimato Brut ($19)
8. Santa Margherita Brut Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene DOCG ($22)
9. Adriano Adami Garbel Prosecco Treviso Brut ($16)
10. 2013 Villa Sandi Millesimato Brut ($28)

1. 2007 Nino Franco Primo Franco Grave di Stecca Spumante Brut ($37)

This Brut style bubbly is fresh with high acidity and a fruity palate. It offers an elegant aroma bouquet of citrus, green apple, and ripe lemon with hints of white flowers.

2. 2014 Bisol Crede Brut ($31)

Here we have a sparkling white wine bottle with lively bubbles and a sweet honeysuckle aroma. The palate is concentrated with flavor notes of tropical fruit, pear, and white peach. It’s great both as an aperitif and in a Prosecco cocktail.

3. 2017 Ruggeri 'Vecchie Viti' Prosecco Brut ($20)

This dry Prosecco sparkling wine has high acidity and a light, bubbly texture. The nose is opulent with hints of peach, fresh citrus, and yellow apple. 

This fruity wine will pair well with various cured meats and Asian cuisine dishes.

4. La Marca 'Luminore' Prosecco Superiore, Conegliano Valdobbiadene ($23)

This La Marca sparkling wine has a dry, crisp palate with tiny but lively bubbles. The flavor profile consists of stone fruit, citrus, and yellow apple fruit with a hint of sweetness.

5. NV Mionetto MO - Luxury Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Cartizze DOCG ($19)

This elegant Italian wine has a fresh citrus aroma accompanied by pear and tropical fruit tasting notes. The palate is elegant and has a gentle lemon zest and white flowers aftertaste.

6. 2020 Colesel 'Cartizze Brut' Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG ($22)

Here we have a young Prosecco sparkling wine from the Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG. The palate has hints of fresh strawberries with crisp acidity, delightful fizzy bubbles, and underlying white peach, ripe lemon, and floral aromas. 

7. 2018 Bianca Vigna Millesimato Brut ($19)

This Italian wine has fine bubbles and juicy stone fruit, mango, and citrus fruit flavors. The aroma bouquet is enchanting with hints of honeysuckle and green apple. 

8. Santa Margherita Brut Prosecco Superiore di Valdobbiadene DOCG ($22)

This sparkling wine has frothy bubbles and a dominant honeydew melon and peach fruit flavor profile. It has a slight hint of lime and a long mineral finish.

9. Adriano Adami Garbel Prosecco Treviso Brut ($16)

This luxurious Prosecco wine hails from the Treviso province in the Prosecco DOC region. It has a low level of sweetness, dominant citrus and tropical fruit flavors, and layered aromas of white peach, minerals, and honey. 

You can mix a delicious brunch cocktail or have this wine as an aperitif with a prosciutto appetizer.

10. 2013 Villa Sandi Millesimato Brut ($28)

This is a traditional Italian sparkling wine with subtle sweetness, lively effervescence, intense citrus flavor, and honeysuckle aromas. It has delightful, persistent bubbles and bright acidity.

Prosecco Flavor Profile, Food Pairings, and Serving

Prosecco is usually a dry wine with fresh acidity. 

The Glera grape gives the wine distinct melon, pear, and apple fruit flavors. It has 10.5-11.5% alcohol content and is best served chilled (40-45 degrees Fahrenheit) in a tulip glass.

You can pop mini wine bottles of Prosecco as an aperitif, but you can also use the wine in Champagne cocktails like:

• Mimosa
• Bellini 
• Spritz Veneziano

The fruitiness and freshness of this bubbly wine make it a great fit for a menu of spicy Thai and Asian dishes, cured meats, white meat dishes, and fruity appetizers. You can also serve a plate of plain crackers as a palate cleanser along with your bottle of Prosecco. 

Prosecco tastes best when it’s young (up to three years after its vintage.) However, some Proseccos of exceptional quality can be stored for up to seven years.

Now, lets get into more details about this super-popular sparkling wine!

What is the Difference Between Prosecco and Champagne?

There are a few key differences between Prosecco and Champagne:

• Region of production: Prosecco is a product of the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions in Northeast Italy, while Champagne is exclusively made in the Champagne region of France.
• Grapes: While Prosecco is made with the Glera grape, Champagne is a blend of the Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier grape varieties.
• Production method: Prosecco follows the inexpensive Charmat method (tank method) of fermentation, while Champagne is made using the second fermentation directly in the bottle (also known as the traditional method or méthode Champenoise.) 

Champagne production is more lengthy and costly, and it gives the wine a more refined mouthfeel and rich flavors.

• Atmospheric pressure: Prosecco has only three atmospheres of pressure while Champagne is fizzier with 5-6 bars of pressure. This makes the Champagne bubbles more persistent and refined.
• Flavor profile: Prosecco is fruitier, while Champagne has a yeast flavor with notes of brioche and cream.
• Price: Since Champagne has a more expensive fermentation process, this is reflected in its price. So, if you’re searching for a more affordable bubbly, Prosecco is a better choice (avg price of $14 a bottle while good quality Champagne prices start at around $50.) 

Prosecco Wine Styles 

There are several distinct styles of Prosecco:

• Sparkling wine: This style is labeled as Prosecco Spumante. 
• Semi sparkling wine: This type of wine is also known as Frizzante, and its bubbles fade away quicker than in Spumante.
• Still wine: Surprisingly, Prosecco can also be made as a still white wine (Tranquillo.) This white wine is only 5% of the total Prosecco production and is usually not exported outside Italy.
• Prosecco Rosé wine: The Rose Prosecco sparkling wines are made using the Glera and the Pinot Noir grape varieties. 
• Col Fondo: This semi sparkling wine style goes through a secondary fermentation in the bottle and is left on its lees. The wine is cloudy with a more complex flavor profile and bubbly light bodied texture.

Prosecco can also have different sweetness levels. 

Here’s how Prosecco wine is labeled depending on the residual sugar levels:

• Brut nature: Up to 3 grams of sugar per liter
• Extra Brut: 3-6 grams of sugar per liter
• Brut: 6-12 grams of sugar per liter
• Extra dry: 12-17 grams of sugar per liter
• Dry: 17-32 grams of sugar per liter

Let’s see how Prosecco is made.

Prosecco Winemaking

All sparkling wines go through a secondary fermentation process. The second fermentation results in effervescence (the fermentation byproduct carbon dioxide integrates into the base wine and results in delightful bubbles.)

Prosecco goes through secondary fermentation in stainless steel tanks (the Charmat method.) This method is relatively inexpensive and quick (around 30 days), making Prosecco an affordable sparkler. 

However, some higher-end Prosecco wines can ferment for several months and have a longer aging potential.

Prosecco Wine Regions

The Prosecco wine regions are divided into:

1. Prosecco DOC

The Prosecco DOC region has two subregions - Treviso (north of Venice) and Trieste, which have a total of 9 wine-producing provinces. 

The vineyard lands are situated on flat plains and cover over 23,000 hectares.

Prosecco DOC produces Prosecco Rosé, spumante, frizzante, and still wine.

2. Prosecco Superiore DOCG

The Prosecco DOCG regions produce luxurious Prosecco wine in the spumante, frizzante and Col Fondo styles. 

There are two Superiore DOCG Prosecco regions:

A. Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG

This Prosecco DOCG appellation comprises steep vineyards spanning over 6,800 hectares on the Conegliano Valdobbiadene hillsides. The region is considered to produce higher quality Prosecco wines compared to Prosecco DOC.

This DOCG region also has two sub-zones:

• Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG: This Prosecco region spans over 107 hectares and is divided between 140 growers. The land is considered the “Grand Cru” of Prosecco and is one of the most expensive ones in Italy (its estimated value was $1 million in 2008.)
• Valdobbiadene Superiore Rive DOCG: Besides Cartizze, there are also 43 Rive subzones, named after the hills where the Prosecco grapes are grown.

B. Asolo DOCG

Asolo is a Prosecco region with 1,800 hectares of hillside vineyard lands. This DOCG region is not divided into sub-zones, and it produces high-quality Prosecco wines.

Let’s also look at how this popular wine came to be:

A Quick Glance at The History of Prosecco

The first mention of Prosecco wine dates back to the late 16th century when the Englishman Fynes Moryson visited north east Italy. Back then, Prosecco was among the most famous wines of Italy.

In the mid-20th century, most Prosecco wines were very sweet (similar to Asti from Piedmont.) 

Since then, the quality of winemaking has improved, and the wine has soared in popularity both in Italy and worldwide.

In the US, Prosecco became an all-time favorite sparkler in the 2000s when Mionetto started importing the wine to the country. In 2010, the UK imported 25% of all Italian Prosecco, making it the biggest export market for the wine.

In 2019, the Prosecco-producing areas of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene came to be recognized as a UNESCO heritage site.

It’s Prosecco Time!

Prosecco is a delightful bubbly wine with diverse fruity notes and honeyed aromas. It works great, both on its own or in a delicious Prosecco cocktail. 

Whether you want to celebrate a special occasion or just treat yourself to a glass of sparkling wine, a bottle of Prosecco won’t disappoint you.

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