To mark National Prosecco Day we bring you our top 10 best Proseccos of 2020 – all of which have been selected from this year’s biggest ‘blind’ tasting of this famous Italian fizz.

Taken from 2020’s Prosecco Masters – which is a competition solely for the sparkling wine run by the drinks business – the 10-strong selection below represents the top performers from across a range of price points and styles, including the extremely dry to the richly sweet, or the low-priced to luxury level cuvée.

What’s important about these Proseccos is that the brands below were sampled without prior knowledge as to their source – the sparklers were tasted ‘blind’, which removes any risk of prejudicial judgments, which we believe is vital for the fair and accurate quality assessment of drinks.

So read on for the best samples from the world’s biggest independent blind tasting of Prosecco in 2020.

10. Zonin Prosecco DOC Cuvée 1821

A pretty Prosecco with lots of peach and pear fruit flavours and a touch of citrus zest makes this a bitter-sweet Prosecco of great appeal.

• Producer: Zonin1821
• Residual sugar level: Extra Dry, 13.5g/l
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Price: £10-£15
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

9. Bosco dei Cirmioli, Prosecco Spumante DOC, Extra Dry

Masses of peachy aromatics make this an enticing Prosecco from the first sniff. It then delivers lots of ripe pear and apricot fruit, a mouth-filling creamy fizz, some sweetness, and then a chalky finish for refreshment. A fruity, quite sweet, and appealing example that offers a lot of flavour.

• Producer: Bosco Viticultori
• Residual sugar: Extra Dry, 15g/l
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Price: £10-£15
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

8. Passaparola Prosecco Spumante DOC, Brut, NV

Leading with an inviting set of aromatics from apple and pear, and a touch of peach, this is a fruity Prosecco that pleases the palate with a smooth-textured fizz, a hint of sweetness, and a chalky refreshing edge. Balanced and mouth-filling, this is a Prosecco that packs a lot of punch for the cash.

• Producer: Pradio Vineyards
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Residual sugar: Brut, 12g/l
• Price: £10-£15
• Medal: Gold – The Prosecco Masters 2020

7. La Marca Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry Collezione Bouquet

Moving into the DOC Treviso category, which is generally considered a step up from just DOC Prosecco, this is a lovely fizz with a touch of sweetness, fresh pear and peach fruit, a touch of orange blossom and a lingering aftertaste, made refreshing by a note of ruby grapefruit.

• Producer: La Marca
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Residual sugar: Extra Dry, 17g/l
• Price: £15
• Medal: Silver  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

6. Maschio dei Cavalieri Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Rive di Colbertaldo, Brut

This DOCG Prosecco hails from one of the region’s highly rated vineyard areas, classified as Rive, and it’s not hard to see why this site, called Colbertaldo, was elevated to such rarified status. Packed with fresh orchard fruits and honeydew melon, and a lovely citrus zest
character, it’s pure and bright, as well as juicy and ripe, and complemented by a lovely creamy-textured fizz. Quite dry by Prosecco standards, this expression delivers more fresh fruit than sweetness, and represents a serious style of Prosecco for a surprisingly affordable price point.

• Producer: Cantine Maschio
• Residual sugar level: Brut, 10g/l
• Vintage: 2019
• Price: £10-£15
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

5. Giusti, Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Extra Brut

If you’re in the mood for extremely dry Prosecco, then look to the DOCG of Asolo, which naturally produces a riper style of fizz that’s well suited to low levels of sugar. And, among the producers in this small DOCG, Giusti is a benchmark for quality, proven by this almost bone-dry Prosecco with plenty of white flowers, pristine apple and peach fruit, and, despite the lack of sugar, no feeling of firmness.

• Producer: Giusti Wine
• Residual sugar level: Extra Brut, 3.5g/l
• Vintage: Non-vintage
• Price: £20-£30
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

4. Bottega Gold

Housed in a gold-coloured bottle, no Prosecco does bling better than Bottega. But don’t think that it’s all style over substance, as this fizz has repeatedly proven to be a gold-quality product too, with plenty of peachy fruit, a lovely orange zest lift, and a persistent, dry finish. It’s a fruity but not too sweet style of Prosecco with masses of freshness.

• Producer: Bottega
• Residual sugar level: Brut, 11g/l
• Vintage: 2019
• Price: £15-£20
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

3. Villa Sandi, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza, Dry

If you are in the mood for something indulgent, with the mouth-filling richness that comes from something a little sweet, then Villa Sandi’s ‘dry’ Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza is a brilliant place to go. As with many of the very best Proseccos, there is quite a high level of sugar in the fizz, but, because of the aromatic, fresh orchard fruit flavours, the drink still refreshes. This Villa Sandi fizz treads that balance with particular finesse.

• Producer: Villa Sandi
• Residual sugar level: Dry, 21g/l
• Vintage: 2018
• Price: £20-£30
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

2. Dirupo Brut Valdobbiadene DOCG

Proving that great, layered refreshing fizz can be found within Prosecco – a sparkling made by re-fermenting the wine in a pressurized vat – was this class-leading Brut example from top producer Andreola. Although its winemaking method means it doesn’t have the bready, nutty characters you find in traditional method fizz, such as Champagne, it delivers something else: fresh, aromatic, juicy fruit, from peach and pear to lemon and lime zest, complemented by a lovely mouth-filling creamy textured fizz.

• Producer: Andreola

• Approximate retail price: £20-30
• Dosage: Brut (10g/l residual sugar)
• Vintage: 2019
• Grapes: Glera (90%), Bianchetta (5%), Perera (5%)
• Closure: Agglomerated cork
• Medal: Gold  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

1. Bisol 1542, DOCG Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze

The format of the Prosecco Masters allows for plenty of samples to gain top scores in the competition – we award them purely on the basis of quality according to style and price. However, if one were to pick an ultimate fizz from 2020, it would be the top expression from Bisol1542. Hailing from perfectly tended vineyards on the prized sloped of Cartizze, it was packed with so much personality, from ripe notes of pear and peach, to zesty aromas of lemon peel and orange blossom, and while sweet and creamy, it gave a final impression of being bright and cleansing. All it needed was something to serve it with, perhaps an apple tart, or plate of blue cheese.

• Producer: Bisol1542
• Residual sugar level: Dry, 25g/l
• Vintage: 2019
• Price: £50+
• Medal: Prosecco Master  – The Prosecco Masters 2020

About the competition

The Global Prosecco Masters is a competition created and run by the drinks business, and forms part of its successful Masters series for noble grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir; major wine styles, from sparkling to rosé; and famous regions including Rioja, Champagne and Tuscany. The competition is exclusively for Prosecco.

The top wines were awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals according to their result, and those expressions that stood out as being outstanding in their field received the ultimate accolade – the title of Prosecco Master.

Please visit the Global Masters website for more information, or, to enter future competitions – giving you the chance to feature online and in print – please call: +44 (0) 20 7803 2420 or email Sophie Raichura at: sophie@thedrinksbusiness.com