What short supply? Prosecco tops London wine list as sales fizz

Forget champagne - Londoners are toasting the summer with a bottle of its cheaper, Italian counterpart.
Popular: Prosecco sales have doubled this year (Picture: Alex Lentati)
Alex Lentati

Londoners have voted Prosecco their favourite wine as sales of the fizz continue to soar.

A survey suggests that 13 per cent of London drinkers would pick the Italian sparkling wine as their first choice, ahead of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio which were joint second with 11.25 per cent. Champagne came in fourth with just under 11 per cent of the vote.

Rioja, in fifth place, was the most popular red, being picked by 9.4 per cent of the 1,000 people polled.

Malbec, Rosé and Australian Shiraz were also in the top 10 in the survey by London wine app Mr Vine.

Prosecco sales in the UK doubled to £181.8 million last year, according to market researchers Kantar. This meant that for the first time the Italian sparkling wine had overtaken Champagne in terms of sales, as Britons spent £141.3 million on the latter in 2014.

However, there is concern that there could be a global shortage of Prosecco this year following 2014’s poor harvest, and that some producers could be up to 50 per cent down on their stock last year.

Bottles of the Italian wine cost £6.49 on average, compared with £16.23 for a bottle for Champagne, according to Kantar.

Greg Jones, former retail director at Majestic Wine, said: “The recession really kicked it all off for Prosecco, particularly in 2008/2009 we saw a rise in sales nationally, which was led by London. It meant people could still celebrate but without the cost of Champagne.

“Its popularity has boomed in the last two years particularly, as people see it as a very consistent and reliable fizzy wine. It also helps that producers have kept prices relatively low.”

Wine critic Oz Clarke praised the “perfect party pop”, saying: “[Prosecco] is fruity, it’s reasonably dry and the gentle bubbles don’t get up your nose and make you sneeze. Drink it ice-cold and no one refuses a second glass.

“And a Prosecco shortage? I’m sure the Italians will somehow find a way to keep us supplied — they always do. But the price may go up.”

Mr Vine, which is free to download, was launched this year to help consumers make more educated wine choices. Founder Charlie Martin said: “Buyers on Mr Vine will know what they are getting as essential taste information for each wine is listed, which often includes food pairing ideas.” For more, visit mrvine.co.uk.

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