Aldi Belletti Dell' Italia Prosecco Price: 5.29 for 750ml The highest scoring Prosecco on test, this Aldi 10.5% ABV variant was also the cheapest at 5.29. Setting high expectations, testers were immediately in the mood for a party on presentation of the bottle. Testers were certainly impressed by the refreshing, citrusy taste and the good level of carbonation, made it very easy to drink: "soft", "light and fruity". At such a low price, there was no need to wait for an occasional party to indulge, and participants envisaged buying this Prosecco to drink both when they had friends over and for relaxing at home. The suitability for a number of different drinking occasions made this a real winner and 3 in 4 said they would buy after tasting. Posh packaging. Great price. Nice enticing bottle, looks very expensive. Dry, crisp, refreshing and easy to drink. Gorgeous flavour, lovely and bubbly. Colour too yellow. Slightly too dry. Asda Fillipo Sansovino Prosecco Price: 7.00 for 750ml Although the brand/image was rated only just above average, the bottle of this Asda Prosecco impressed. Premium and Modern looking, it was considered sufficiently upmarket to be served to guests. The "refreshing", "crisp" flavour and slight sweetness gave this prosecco mainstream appeal, and with "just the right amount of bubbles", it ticked all the boxes. Consumers were impressed by the quality on offer; with 3 in 4 saying it was better than expected for this brand. Perfect for a variety of drinking occasions, this Prosecco was only a couple of points behind the current maximum scorer: Aldi's 5.49 Belletti Dell' Italia. Looks inviting. Taste is nice and sweet with just the right amount of fizz. It s sparkly, not too dry. I like bottle, good to take to a party. The bottle and label looks premium. Taste is clean and fruity Tastes a bit peachy. Bitter aftertaste, slightly too dry.
Sainsbury s Winemakers' Selection Prosecco D'oc Brut Price: 7.00 for 750ml The "bright" eye-catching label and an attractive shaped bottle resulted in high scores for Packaging and Brand/Image for this Prosecco. Even before tasting, likelihood to purchase this expensive looking drink was higher than for any other prosecco on test. Sweet in taste, with prominent floral notes, it had plenty of fizz, which lasted well after the first few sips. It proved particularly popular with 35-54 year olds, who were more likely to buy than the over 55 s, for whom it was a little too bitter and dry. 3 in 5 said they would buy post trial. The taste has an unusual refreshing mixture of fruit and sweetness together. Packaging looks expensive, taste is lively and price is good. Lovely. So refreshing. Has a kick of flavour of peaches, leaves a great aftertaste. It has a slightly dry after taste. Tasted acidic. Not pleasant. Waitrose NV, Glera, Italian, Prosecco Nearly half of testers felt this bottle of Prosecco looked premium on presentation of the bottle and brand/image were rated particularly highly. Expectations were high for this Waitrose product and for the majority, it delivered. There was a distinct aroma which was quite floral and fruity, and the taste was equally popular: "fresh" and "not too sweet". This Prosecco had an identifiable aftertaste of apple which distinguished it from other brands. Others were less impressed, either because they found it "too gassy" or felt it was "a little dry". Although considered a "good price" for Waitrose, it was rated lower value for money than other products on test. Appealing packaging. The logo brand, colour and font make it appear to be good quality. Lovely depth of flavour, not too sweet. Refreshing. Aftertaste of apples. Packaging is a bit bland. Too fizzy and dry. Packaging looks to plain and boring.
Aldi Prosecco Superiore A more sophisticated and expensive alternative to Aldi s Belletti Dell'Italia, the premium positioning and higher price point made this more of a special occasion drink. A perfect choice for a party, participants said would be happy to display the "lovely bottle" to impress guests. The "fruity", "refreshing" taste" had a delicate floral flavour but was occasionally considered "bitter" while a minority found it "too sweet". With an overall score on a par with the identically priced Waitrose Prosecco (NV, Glera) and the cheaper Sainsbury's variant (Winemaker's Selection), one in three said they would definitely buy before tasting, convinced they were getting something special. I really like the label, looks expensive. Has a fruity tang to the flavour and not too sparkling. Fabulous bottle, looks expensive, price very reasonable. Very sweet. Loved it. Lovely and smooth. Very bitter aftertaste. I think it s a little bit too dry. Tesco Plaza Centro Prosecco Brut Price: 6.50 for 750ml The rather understated bottle and label design undersold the quality of this Prosecco from Tesco, resulting in an average score of 40 out of 50. Although the label design was considered rather functional and a little "boring" by some, many were familiar with this brand having bought it before. The lower price bracket also encouraged more informal drinking occasions such as relaxing at home with friends or as an accompaniment to a BBQ or picnic. The taste of this Prosecco punched above its weight, with a silky smooth taste that was "refreshingly light" and easy to drink, appealing to those who enjoyed their Prosecco quite dry and not too bubbly. Light and not too bubbly. Easy to drink, smooth and refreshing. I would buy it as its good value for a party drink, it looks fun from the packaging. Bubbly, good light colour, delicate aftertaste. Label average. Would buy something else if giving as a gift. The check on the bottle neck is a bit naff. The packaging is bog standard. It would not attract me on the shelf.
Lidl Conegliano - Valdobbiadene Prosecco Spumante Docg This Prosecco from Lidl achieved an overall score some 4 points below rival discounter Aldi's Prosecco Superiore. While the response to the brand and image was similar, with both bottles considered sufficiently "classy" and attractive to serve at a party, the differences came after tasting. This Lidl Prosecco smelt quite sweet and certainly had a good level of fizz, but the taste often disappointed. 44% rated as average/poor, whilst the aftertaste was quite coarse: "this tastes quite watery"/ "bland"/ "too dry"/ "slightly bitter". As a result, likelihood to buy after tasting as many felt it was over-priced at 7.49. Great fruity aftertaste. Very dry but tasty. It s really dry so stays bubbly in glass, a very refreshing taste in mouth. Bottle/packaging look authentic. Bottle has an Italian feel. Strong, sweet, fizzy, love it. Quite acidic aftertaste. Too dry for me. Co-op Prosecco Special Cuvee Brut Despite the attractively shaped and "expensive looking" bottle, this Prosecco received below average scores for brand/image and packaging, with the Co-op not everyone's first choice for this type of special occasion drink. This drink had a lot of fine bubbles and a "crisp", "clean" taste with both of these characteristics leading to much enjoyment. However, there was also some complaint from those who found the drink "too gassy" and "dry". Many enjoyed the refreshing properties of this drink and would be happy to serve to guests, while others would choose a different brand if spending this premium. Clean crisp taste. Lots of bubbles. Light, refreshing, very easy to drink, great price. Artificial aroma. It s very pale in colour. Same as other brands. Not sweet enough.
Morrisons Sorso Prosecco Doc Price: 7.00 for 750ml Despite the stylish bottle and modern design, low scores were received across most key measures as this Prosecco from Morrisons struggled to distinguish itself from other brands within the same price bracket. Southerners, perhaps surprisingly, were most impressed by the quality and value on offer from Morrisons, whilst Northerners were less enthusiastic. Southern testers were most likely to buy after tasting, drawn to the "good sparkle" and "crisp", "dry" characteristics of the drink. Others found the taste to be rather bland or detected a "funny aftertaste". On balance, many felt this represented average value and would rather wait to see if this ever went on price promotion before buying. Looks fun. Nice party look label. Crisp taste. Smells citrusy. Looks modern and different. Very smooth going down, not overly bubbly. Good sparkle and not too dry. Flavour is not very nice, not tangy enough. Not fizzy enough. Bland, not as refreshing. Majestic Prosecco Frizzante Torri della Marca NV Price: 2.00 for 600g This delicately sparkling 'frizzante' style of Prosecco failed to impress our testers. Prosecco buyers love their fizz and the lack of bubbles in this Prosecco was an issue, as was the "weak" taste and rather "sour", "bitter" aftertaste. The boring and cheap looking bottle had a negative impact on expectations only a minority said they were likely to buy before tasting. The widespread rejection of this drink meant that fewer than 1 in 4 could imagine even serving with food. This was the lowest scoring Prosecco on test and most expected more for 6.99. Fresh taste. Apple or pear aroma. Screw top is good for picnics. Doesn t overdo the fizz and not too dry. Label looks cheap and screw top makes it less appealing. Synthetic taste. The packaging looks as though it s an apple drink or cider. The green is awful. It tastes very watery and acidic. Packaging looks cheap.
How we did our testing: Proseccos purchased from shelf at 10 major retailers were taste tested by consumers in an independent piece of research. The research took place in Home Panel tasting sessions convened in the homes of 12 of our trained interviewers, across the North, Midlands and the South of England. Each prosecco on test was assessed by at least 50 consumers with the order of testing fully rotated to avoid any bias. Participants were recruited in advance of the panels by Cambridge MR s interviewers with those in scope, invited to take part in the research. At each home panel, participants assessed a maximum of 5 of the 10 proseccos on test in a sequential monadic format. For each prosecco on test, a full diagnostic product assessment took place with participants evaluating and rating key characteristics, including packaging, brand/image, appearance, aroma, taste, ease of drinking, aftertaste and intention to buy. Participants were shown the fully branded bottle, to enable assessment of brand/image and packaging before being served 30ml of each prosecco to taste. After tasting, participants proceeded to rate the key characteristics of the prosecco. Testing took place between 21 st 22 nd June 2016. All testing was conducted in home sessions by our trained interviewers in a fully controlled environment. Who tried and tested them: A total of 106 consumers who regularly purchase and consume prosecco took part in the research, with the total sample broadly representative of the UK population as a whole in terms of age and socio-economic group. Within the total sample, consumers were shopping for their groceries from a range of different supermarkets. How the scores are defined: The total scores are rated out of 50 drawn from 10 key product measures. For more detailed information on this research and the performance of each retailer s Proseccos contact Katie O Brien on 01223 492050 Cambridge Market Research Limited is a full service consumer research agency and Market Research Society Company partner. All research was conducted in line with the MRS Code of Conduct. www.cambridgemr.com