SPAR Prosecco range plus a recipe for the classic Venetian spritz

Apparently, Procescco sales in the UK will outgrow all other types of sparkling wine sales in five years - the fastest growth in the World (noone say Brexit, noone say Brexit). Total UK consumption is expected to rise 10.8% to nearly 74m litres a year by 2020*.

And no wonder, as Prosecco is a relatively affordable luxury, plus the rise of the popularity of the prosecco-based spritz is only amplifying the figures. I'm also seeing better quality, particularly in the wallet friendly supermarkets and at really decent prices too.

SPAR are not the only ones to jump on this and they have just release two of their own bottles in response to the demand. Their Valdobbiadene DOCG Prosecco is a pretty bottle that would actually be perfect for a gift. Really light, fruity and floral and very easy to drink, this would be the ideal bottle to sink for an aperitif, which of course is exactly what we did with it. At £12, it really is great value. I've had far more expensive Champagne and, truly, would choose this over the bulk of them. Valdobbiadene is known to be the best area for Prosecco production so is something to look for when shopping and I would recommend you enjoy this on its own.

The DOC Extra Dry is even more affordable and it's this that I decided to use to create a round of Venetian Spritz cocktails with, even though it was pleasant as it was. I'm not actually a fan of particularly dry white wines, I find them too acrid but despite the title, this was smooth and easy to drink. Again the price point at just £9 was also a surprise.

A classic spritz is such an easy drink to create for friends. Most people love them and they are trés en vogue - and you'll impress with very, very little effort. As soon as the temperatures get even close to warm, these start to get poured and as we had a small group round, we toasted the start of the summer with these in the garden.

1 part Bitter Liqueur (Aperol is sweetest but you can go for a 50:50 Aperol/Campari split)

2 parts Prosecco

1 part Soda Water

Garnish:

Skewered green olive (preferably with the stone)

Half slice of orange

Built the liquids in a tumbler style wine glass over ice cubes then add the garnish. 

*data by Vinexpo
This post was sponsored but words and thoughts, as always, my own.

Posted in: Mixed