PRO-SECCO: Brits prefer Prosecco to Champagne, survey reveals

Ahead of National Prosecco Day this Saturday, 13th August, wedding pros at Hitched.co.uk delve into the bubbly-trends of those currently wedding planning, to understand the nation’s preference of the Italian tipple over the traditional French variety.

In a poll of 2,780 followers of Hitched* it was revealed that two thirds of Brits are planning to serve Prosecco on their big day, versus only 17% who intend to serve Champagne.

It’s no surprise that cost has had an impact on this decision, with 42% citing that the reason for serving Prosecco over Champagne is that it is cheaper, while another 32% simply say they prefer the taste of Prosecco, and 12% admit that Prosecco is their drink of choice generally anyway.

Morris Carr, from Attimo Craft Winery, says: “The main noticeable difference between Prosecco and Champagne, at least for the first few sips, would be that Champagne is fizzier than Prosecco. It also has a more rich and intense taste in the mouth. Champagne is often described as having a slight taste of toasted bread.

“Andrea, the co-founder at Attimo Craft Winery, is a 3rd level Sommelier and describes Champagne as being more aromatic and drier. Prosecco on the other hand tends to be fruitier and fresher in the mouth. For the untrained (like me), it is a question of taste. Personally I prefer Prosecco due to it being easy to drink thanks to a nice balance of fruit and dryness coupled with just the right amount of fizz.”

The poll data also revealed that more than half (55%) of the respondents prefer the taste of Prosecco over Champagne anyway, and of those who do intend to serve Champagne on their big day, they only plan to do so for the traditional toasts during the wedding speeches (30%).

Morris adds: “Champagne is seen as a luxury product and status symbol (due to its positioning and pricing) and was, (and indeed still is), used in this respect to mark special occasions. Popping open a bottle of Champagne has therefore become synonymous with celebrating an important occasion.”

While the trend of having a Champagne tower seems to have taken TikTok by storm, with more than 28million video views for the tag #ChampagneTower, only 6% of those surveyed said they intend on having a Champagne (or Prosecco) tower at their wedding, with another 9% still unsure.

While a whopping 84% said they won’t be including a Champagne or Prosecco tower at their wedding, it was revealed that this is because many venues require this trend to be set up by a “specialist” and weren’t able to provide it as part of their package.

Last year, the average spend on catering a wedding was £4,680 – an increase of 20% on pre-pandemic spend. In this cost of living crisis, it’s no surprise nearlyweds are having to make decisions to reduce the overall cost of their big days, especially as the latest National Wedding Survey revealed that almost half (48%) of newlyweds in 2021 went over their wedding budget, and less than 1 in 10 managed to come in under budget.