As the scorching weather continues across the UK, many of us will be making the most of the sunny weekend with a glass in hand. Prosecco lovers will no doubt have a fridge brimming with bubbles, but chances are you could be spoiling your fizz before you've even corked it.
It's safe to say us Brits are big fans of fizz, as we hold the title of being the biggest prosecco drinkers worldwide. The Prosecco DOC Consortium reports that a mammoth 122.2 million bottles of prosecco DOC were exported to the UK last year, which accounts for 24.5% of all exports.
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Championed as a cheaper alternative to its posher champagne cousin, the prosecco industry is booming, so much so that celebrities are cashing in on its increasing popularity. In 2021, Kylie Minogue 's £12 bottle of pink fizz became the UK's best-selling branded prosecco rose, helping to maintain her status as the queen of pop in more ways than one.
When it comes to serving prosecco, it might seem as simple as sticking your bottle in the fridge before popping the cork open to the sound of cheers from eager guests. But in reality, there's a few rules to follow in order to perfect the taste of the Italian tipple.
Much like other wines, the sparkling beverage needs plenty of TLC from the moment you pick it up from the supermarket shelf.
To raise a toast to National Prosecco Day on 13th August, and to help you make the most of your bubbly, we asked Ana Waldburg - a wine expert, wine maker and and Junior Brand Manager at I heart Wines - to reveal her top tips and the most common mistakes that prosecco poppers make.
What to look out for when tasting prosecco
You may have loved the taste of every of prosecco that has passed your lips, but in truth, not all fizzes are equal. Revered for its fruity finish and lightweight mouthfeel, Ana says you should expect notes of peach and pear when sipping on the popular bubbly.
When it comes to red flags when trying a new prosecco, Ana urges people to watch out for a yeasty taste, as this isn't "typical of prosecco".
Shoppers should also consider what the prosecco looks like. The wine expert says that you should expect a "nice, lightly gold colour" and for the smell of the drink to match the flavour. Anything that looks too yellow is a no-go.
Sharing another great indicator of a good prosecco, she says: "The bubbles should have a nice balance: not too fizzy but not flat."
The best prosecco temperature
While most of us will be eager to ensure our bubbly is ice cold on a summer's day, Ana warns against making your beverage too chilled. "The problem with having prosecco that’s too cold, say below five degrees, is that you lose the fruitiness and the aroma. This happens with all wines."
She says that white, rose and sparkling wines should be served at somewhere between 6-8C.
If you've made the catastrophic error of forgetting to put your bottle in the fridge before friends arrive, Ana says you can pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes if you're in a pinch.
"It shouldn't be done in any other circumstance as the freezer can be too shocking for the prosecco, but it's fine for emergencies".
What glass should I use for prosecco?
If you've been drinking your prosecco from a flute glass, you could be doing your bubbly a disservice, as shockingly, it's not the best type of glassware to use.
"A flute is the classic way most people imagine drinking prosecco, but the perfect glass is actually more of a tulip shape. It has elements of the flute but the top is more rounded, which allows for a stronger aroma and helps keep the fizz inside,” Ana explains.
If you're doing a wine tasting or a food pairing, Ana suggests plumping for a more bulbous glass, as this will help you make the most out of one small sip.
A larger glass will allow you to take in the aroma more effectively, and "chew" the taste, which is handy when you're trialling more than one prosecco.
However, more voluminous glasses will release gas at a faster rate, meaning your bubbles wont last long. With all this in mind, anyone looking to drink more than one sip of bubbly (which will be most of us) should stick to a smaller, thinner glass.
“If you don’t have flutes at home, a small white wine glass will work, but the perfect prosecco glass is always the tulip,” she says.
How to pour a prosecco and keep it fizzy
Pouring the perfect glass off prosecco is arguably the hardest element to crack. According to the expert, "the deeper you pour into the glass, the more bubbles you lose".
"If you hold the glass at an angle, this allows you to pour it against the glass wall and you can maintain the bubbles inside."
"When you pour a prosecco and it’s really foamy, you’ve poured too fast. You should take your time," she adds.
In another surprising tip, Ana explains that most people open their prosecco bottle all wrong. "Instead of turning the cork to open, remove the agrafe (the small wire holding the cork in place) hold the cork in one hand and then the bottle in the other and slowly turn the bottle until the cork comes loose. This prizes it open much easier."
“You shouldn't hear a loud sound when the cork comes out the bottle either, only what’s known as a 'whisper of an angel' which is a faint noise. That’s how you know you’ve opened the bottle properly”.
Ana also debunks the popular trick of putting a spoon in the top of an open prosecco bottle before putting it back in the fridge, in order to keep it fizzy. “That wouldn’t work, it’s just a myth.”
How to store prosecco
Ana reveals that the most common mistake people make when it comes to prosecco is storing it incorrectly, as exposing the fizz to too much light can ruin the taste.
"This happens a lot with prosecco and rose, both at home and in stores. Rose wines and rose proseccos are very sensitive to light, and they can go bad if stored incorrectly.
"But the tricky part is that consumers love a clear bottle, which exposes the liquid to even more light. Once you buy it, keep it in a dark place."
She says that the perfect place to store your bubbles is in the fridge, as it's cool and dark. " Before serving, don’t shake it or let it heat up, because when it heats up the aroma is lost and it loses its fizziness.”
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