Prosecco’s a pretty big deal here in the UK. Back in 2015 its sales surpassed champagne’s for the first time, and it’s hardly slipped since.
In 2024, prosecco had an estimated market value of £3 billion, with The Drinks Business reporting that 660 million bottles were produced over the same year.
114 million of those bottles were exported to the UK, per The Buyer, with the UK’s taste of it being second only to its native Italy.
A generally cheap and cheerful replacement for champagne, prosecco is made from the Glera grape and hails from the Veneto region of Italy. Its fizz and tang isn’t quite on the level of refinement you’d expect from a quality champagne, but it does the job at weddings, birthday celebrations, and nights out with the girls.
If the fizziness isn’t to your taste, you’re in luck. Budget supermarket giant Aldi has just announced its own addition to the wonderful world of prosecco: Still Prosecco.
Available at Aldis up and down the country for just £5.99, the UK’s first still prosecco comes recommended by wine expert Sam Caporn who’s labelled it a ‘fantastic alternative to other popular Italian white wines’.
The Costellore Still Prosecco DOC is made with Glera grapes, with Aldi citing ‘vibrant orchard fruit aromas and crisp, refreshing taste’ in its press release.
Praising the wine, Caporn said: “This light, fresh, still Prosecco has much in common with its sparkling sibling, boasting notes of apricot, honeysuckle, ripe pear and melon with beautifully balancing lemon acidity. Delicious!”
The Mistress of Wine continued: “This is made from the same grape as the sparkling wine – Glera – and as such, it has the same tasty flavours of orchard and stone fruits. It also makes an excellent alternative to famous northern Italian wines such as Gavi. It would be fantastic when enjoyed alongside classic Italian dishes such as seafood pasta, carbonara or risotto.”
While it might be cause for celebration among the gassy drink-averse, social media’s awash with the same sentiment around whether it can really be a prosecco if it isn’t fizzy.
“Forgive my ignorance but isn't that just white wine?” asked one X user.
“That's just white wine then!” posited another.
Another chimed: “Prosecco is sparkling white wine . Non sparkling white wine is just f**king WHITE WINE!”
Another sardonically quipped: “Aldi has launched “white wine”?”
Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! Made with the same Glera grapes as the typical fizzy version, prosecco connoisseurs will no doubt appreciate the familiar flavour.
Speaking on behalf of Aldi, Mistress of Wine, Sam Caporn, praises the new wine: "This light, fresh, still Prosecco has much in common with its sparkling sibling, boasting notes of apricot, honeysuckle, ripe pear and melon with beautifully balancing lemon acidity. Delicious!
"This is made from the same grape as the sparkling wine - Glera - and as such, it has the same tasty flavours of orchard and stone fruits. It also makes an excellent alternative to famous northern Italian wines such as Gavi. It would be fantastic when enjoyed alongside classic Italian dishes such as seafood pasta, carbonara or risotto."
Featured Image Credit: Elena Noviello/Getty ImagesTopics: Alcohol, Drinks, Social Media, News
Rachael Davis