Beyond the Aperitif: How international critics—from Decanter to James Suckling—are validating the terroir-driven, ultra-dry maturity of Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco
Long the dependable workhorse of the global happy hour—reliable, ubiquitous, pleasant—the iconic sparkler of Veneto and Friuli has undergone a metamorphosis. Today, it asserts a stylistic and expressive maturity that transcends its immense commercial footprint.
Cross-referencing results from the world’s most rigorous competitions—from the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) and International Wine Challenge (IWC) to the verdicts of Wine Enthusiast, Falstaff, and James Suckling—confirms a qualitative trajectory long in the making. We are no longer simply charting industrial success; we are witnessing the full valorization of a complex mosaic of terroirs. The superior denominations (Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG and Asolo DOCG) have definitively decoupled from the entry-level category, competing steadily within the upper echelons of international sparkling wine.
Market data for 2025 underscores this ascent with undeniable economic resilience. In the United States—the global benchmark market—Prosecco has secured a dominant share, now representing 31% of the value of all Italian wine exports stateside. Appeal is broad-based, capturing 27% of Millennials and six out of ten female consumers, proving that Glera’s fresh, fruit-forward profile remains perfectly synchronized with the evolution of the contemporary palate.
Yet, the defining metric is not volume, but value. The accolades of 2025 overwhelmingly favor “Rive” (single vineyard) selections, “Cartizze” (the denomination’s Grand Cru), and low-dosage vinifications (Brut, Extra Brut, and Dosaggio Zero). The critical consensus has finally decoded the geological complexity of the Treviso hills.
Synthesizing the verdicts of the most authoritative international juries, we present the definitive ranking of the Best Proseccos of 2025.
🥇 THE ABSOLUTE PODIUM (The Multi-Awarded)
Ruggeri | Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG Brut 2023
Premi: 🏆 DWWA Platinum Medal + Record Punteggio Assoluto (97 pt) + 🥇 Gold Prosecco Masters
Ruggeri rewrites the “Grand Cru” canon, delivering Cartizze in an audacious Brut version that breaks from the historic soft-dry tradition. This enological pivot is an act of absolute faith in the marine sandstone and clays of this elite hill, proving the natural opulence of Glera possesses the structure to sustain a more austere sip. Stripping the wine of its customary sugar buffer, the Brut vinification forces the fruit to reveal its true density without sweet mediation. The result is an expression of crystalline verticality, where mineral tension and aromatic depth emerge unadulterated, celebrating the naked, vibrant essence of the Cartizze terroir.
The Verdict: Decanter awarded a record-breaking 97/100 (Platinum). Judges were stunned by an “acidity tension” typically absent in Cartizze, citing notes of “ripe pear and lemon blossom” atop an austere, interminable structure.
Bortolomiol | 70th Anniversary Rive di Col San Martino Extra Brut 2022
Premi: 🥇 IWSC Gold (96 pt) + 🏅 Falstaff (94 pt) + 🏅 James Suckling (92 pt)
A masterclass in “heroic viticulture,” produced in limited quantity (8,000 bottles) from a single vineyard on extreme slopes in Col San Martino. Soft pressing and ten months of lees aging imbue the wine with an imposing structure—texturally rivaling Metodo Classico—while preserving Glera’s intrinsic freshness. Bortolomiol’s ability to infuse the 2022 vintage with such depth and aging potential positions the cuvée as the benchmark for high-end Extra Brut within the DOCG.
The Verdict: A rare international “Hat-trick.” London’s IWSC awarded a staggering 96 points (monumental for an Extra Brut), defining it “silky yet severe.” Falstaff (Austria) and Suckling (USA) confirm the excellence, praising a mineral complexity suggestive of “gunflint and citron.”
Bisol1542 | Crede Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2024
Premi: 🏆 Italian Sparkling Trophy (IWC) + 🏆 Prosecco Trophy (IWC) + 🥇 Gold Medal (95 pt) + Grand Master (Prosecco Masters)
Under the aegis of the Lunelli Group and bolstered by history dating back to 1542, Bisol remains the absolute reference for steep-slope viticulture, demonstrating how an obsession with micro-zonation can elevate the Martinotti Method to unexpected heights of complexity. The core lies in the “Crede” terroir—marine sandstone rich in clay—which, particularly in the 2024 vintage, guaranteed hydration and vibrant acidity. This geological matrix, combined with expert blending (integrating Verdiso and Pinot Bianco), provides an uncommon acidic shoulder. The result: a Brut of superior longevity, translating soil richness into expressive clarity and absolute elegance.
The Verdict: The IWC dubbed it “bold and focused.” Judges lauded the “crystalline definition” of aromatics—Williams pear and fresh Cantaloupe—balanced by a laser-sharp lemon cut providing vibrant tension
Valdo | Cuvée di Boj Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut NV
Premi: 🏆 Best Producer Sparkling Wine Italy (Berliner Wein Trophy) + 🏆 Producer Trophy (IWSC) + 🥇 Gold Medal (96 pt) + 🥈 3 Argenti
Sourced from the “Valle dei Buoi,” a natural amphitheater vocated to historic viticulture. Despite being a Non-Vintage, it flaunts a complexity superior to many millésimes, driven by masterful secondary fermentation management that yields a mousse of cream-like texture. Valdo achieved a historic double, securing “Best Producer” titles at both the Berliner Wein Trophy and the IWSC.
The Verdict: The IWSC awarded a stellar 96 points, describing it as “seductive.” The panel highlighted exotic notes of “ripe apricot, quince, and passion fruit,” noting a “long, refreshing” finish with a sapid complexity rare for an NV.
Andreola | Marna Del Bacio Rive di San Pietro di Barbozza Extra Brut 2024
Awards: 🥇 IWSC Gold (95 pt) + 🏅 Falstaff (94 pt) + 🏅 Menzioni Suckling/WE
Led by Stefano Pola, Andreola is a pioneer and absolute protagonist in the valorization of the ‘Rive’, boasting the most diverse crus selection in the denomination. The expression from San Pietro di Barbozza is the archetype: a tribute to manual, heroic viticulture on gradients reaching 80%. Rooted in the calcareous Biancone bedrock, these vines yield raw material of rare finesse, razor-sharp salinity, and superior complexity. Deliberately stripped of superfluous sugar, the sip reveals a mineral structure of absolute elegance and persistence.
The Verdict: Uniting Austrian rigor and British palate. Falstaff describes it as “stony and saline,” while the IWSC praises its “remarkable acid tension.” A vertical wine seeking not softness, but the purity of rock and wildflowers.
🥈 THE CRITICAL CONSENSUS (Global Heavyweights)
Graziano Merotto | Cuvée del Fondatore Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2024
Awards: 🏅 Wine Enthusiast (93 pt) + 🏅 Falstaff (93 pt) + 🏅 IWSC Silver (92 pt)
The epitome of Col San Martino’s heroic viticulture, the cuvée gains an imposing architectural depth from a marathon secondary fermentation, possessing a textural gravitas that rivals Metodo Classico. Graziano Merotto, a visionary terroir interpreter for half a century, harnesses these sheer gradients as a potent qualitative weapon. His proprietary ‘Single Sequence Fermentation’ unlocks rare tertiary nuance and a silk-spun mousse, definitively vaulting the wine beyond the denomination’s conventional limits.
The Verdict: Uniting the most severe international panels. Wine Enthusiast celebrates the “hawthorn and white-fleshed fruit” notes and surgical precision, while Falstaff praises its powerful, “vinous” character.
Col Vetoraz | Valdobbiadene Superiore di Cartizze DOCG 2024
Awards: 🏅 Falstaff (93 pt) + 🥈 Decanter Silver (92 pt) + 🏅 Wine Enthusiast (91 pt)
Col Vetoraz reaffirms its mastery of elegance through an obsessive, almost radical protocol designed to shield berry integrity from the slightest oxidative drift. Perched at the very apex of the Cartizze hill, the winery harnesses fruit from precipitous, sun-drenched slopes to achieve flawless aromatic maturity. The glass delivers a velvety, enveloping texture, where the natural residual sugar is brilliantly tensioned by vibrant acidity—a high-definition snapshot of Glera that delivers the varietal essence with crystalline purity.
The Verdict: Critical Consensus. Falstaff awards 93 points for its ‘incredible juiciness’ and layers of white peach and rose. It is widely regarded as the textbook definition of Cartizze.
🥈 THE CONSENSUS MASTERS (Double Excellence)
Toffoli | Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2024
Premi: 🥇 IWSC Gold (95 pt) + 🏅 Falstaff (94 pt)
Vincenzo Toffoli decodes the Refrontolo terroir with a rare fusion of agrarian instinct and engineering rigor. The 2024 Brut emerges from a hyper-protective protocol designed for absolute transparency: manual harvesting meets gentle vacuum pressing in a strictly anaerobic environment. This oxygen-free regimen locks in Glera’s most volatile precursors, yielding a wine of laser-cut definition—a crystalline synthesis of varietal identity and technical precision.
The Verdict: Judges note its ‘surgical precision.’ Falstaff praises the pristine fruit profile (‘crisp Golden Delicious’), while the IWSC highlights the floral lift of wisteria. A wine marked by its ‘expressive clarity’ and immaculate execution.
Nani Rizzi | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut Millesimato 2024
Premi: 🏅 Falstaff (94 pt) + 🏅 James Suckling (93 pt)
Under the stewardship of Denis Spagnol and his three daughters, Nani Rizzi has emerged as a nimble challenger to the appellation’s historic goliaths. This Extra Brut serves as a manifesto for the contemporary style, deftly balancing the austerity of low dosage with exuberant fruit expression. Taut, saline, and vibrant, it stands as an indisputable ‘Smart Buy,’ delivering top-tier precision at a democratically accessible price.
The Verdict: James Suckling and Falstaff align on its fresh, botanical profile, citing notes of field herbs, elderflower, and sage. Suckling underscores the ‘chalky mineral’ spine that drives the palate, hailing it as a wine of ‘notable drive.’
🎖 THE REVELATIONS (Best Value & Private Label)
Despar (SPAR) | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry NV
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95 pt) + 🏆 Value Gold Decanter
The performance of Spar’s Private Label is a telling indicator, certifying that technical precision and typicity are now truly democratized. Securing 95 points and ‘Value Gold’ status in blind assessment attests to an undisputed quality level in the glass, irrespective of market positioning, delivering a ‘purity’ of execution marked by exacting precision. A virtuous example of how mass distribution can make products of real enological complexity accessible..
The Verdict: Decanter judges awarded 95 points, lauding its “authenticity and purity.” A wine defined by a “drive of green apple and lemon” melding with a soft mousse of orange blossom. Zippy and crisp.
Cantine Maschio (ASDA) | Exceptional Prosecco Brut NV
Premi: 🏆 IWC Great Value Champion Trophy (93 pt)
The ‘Exceptional’ cuvée for British retailer ASDA showcases the democratic power of Prosecco. Crafted by the Vazzola powerhouse Cantine Maschio, this wine ennobles the ‘Private Label’ sector, proving that significant volume can align with impeccable technical solidity. The execution is clinical, yielding a textbook sensory experience—clean, precise, and pristine—that openly challenges the stigma of supermarket wines.
The Verdict: Outperforming Champagne and Cava in the ‘Value’ stakes. The IWC lauds its ‘purity of execution’: jasmine and bright lemon meet a creamy texture born of a slow prise de mousse. Archetypal and flawless.”
🎖 LE MEDAGLIE D’ORO (L’Elite dei 95 Punti)
Montelvini | Collezione Serenitatis Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut 2024
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95 pt) + Value Gold
The elevation of Asolo Superiore DOCG to the top tier, particularly in the Extra Brut category, underscores the appellation’s distinct identity. Diverging from its Valdobbiadene counterparts, Asolo asserts a sharper, more mineral and savory profile. The restrained dosage (6 g/L) serves as the catalyst, allowing the ‘limestone tension’ to express itself unmasked.
The Verdict: Decanter lauded its ‘lush length’ and architectural structure. A wine defined by ‘grip’—where sweet lemon fuses with a near-salty minerality. Essential and rigorous.”
Guia | Incipit Sui Lieviti Brut Nature 2022
Premi: 🥇 IWSC Gold (95)
A watershed moment for Prosecco’s ancestral tradition, marking the definitive international validation of the ‘Col Fondo’ style. Produced in a micro-lot of just 1,356 bottles from a single amphitheater vineyard in Valdobbiadene, where fossil-rich marine sandstone soils endow the Glera with outstanding salinity.
The Verdict: The undisgorged approach imparts a sensory complexity that captivated the judges. Praised for a profile that is ‘structured and rocky on the finish,’ layered with elegant tertiary hints of ‘toasted almond’ melding with fruit purity.
Villa Sandi | La Gioiosa Prosecco DOC Brut Biologico
Premi: 🥇 IWC Gold (95)
Villa Sandi leverages certified sustainability (Biodiversity Friend) not merely as an ethical baseline, but as an instrument of stylistic precision. Through clinical mastery of the organic Charmat method, the winery achieves an expressive purity and definition rarely encountered at this scale. A blueprint proving that rigorous environmental stewardship is the catalyst for superior, pristine authenticity.
The Verdict: A statement win for the Organic category. Judges lauded the ‘exemplary cleanliness’ and unadulterated fruit profile: a cascade of fresh flowers and vibrant lemon, devoid of interference.
Nebbia | Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Rive Brut 2024
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95)
A rigorous, transparent interpretation of terroir. The Brut dosage (<12 g/L) is a stylistic masterstroke: designed to lay the raw material bare, amplifying the mineral tension and racy freshness inherent to Glera from the precipitous ‘Rive’ slopes.
The Verdict: Decanter’s notes turn poetic, describing aromas that ‘dance in the glass.’ Lauded for its verticality and ‘crystalline purity’—eschewing softness for structure: crisp nectarine and a taut, vibrant finish.
Le Manzane | 20.10 Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry 2023
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95)
With the 20.10 Extra Dry, Le Manzane demonstrates that tradition, executed with technical mastery, can scale the heights of excellence. This wine stands as the archetype of premium Extra Dry: a razor-sharp equilibrium where residual sugar serves not as a mask, but as a catalyst for salinity, amplifying the structure.
The Verdict: Hailed as a ‘textbook example’ of the style. Critics laud the pinpoint balance where sweetness propels the savory finish. Notes of ‘green apple and bread crust
Dei Vescovi | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2023 (Magnum)
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95)
Dei Vescovi’s performance is magnified by the Magnum format, facilitating a slower, more harmonious evolution that preserves pristine freshness while refining the bead. A powerful endorsement of Valdobbiadene Superiore’s longevity and aging potential.
The Verdict: ‘Vibrates on the palate.’ Judges lauded the interplay between nervy acidity and the creamy mousse characteristic of large-format aging.
Terre del Cima | Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Extra Dry 2023
Premi: 🥇 DWWA Gold (95)
Terre del Cima cements the reputation of vintage Extra Dry within the premium tier. Rewarded for outstanding varietal typicity, this wine is a textbook example of Conegliano Valdobbiadene at its stylistic zenith: a seamless fusion of fruit purity and enological precision.
The Verdict: Lauded for its ‘dazzling freshness.’ The saline finish proved the decisive element for the judges, providing a masterful counterpoint to the Extra Dry sweetness.
Spumanti Dal Din | Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut NV
Premi: 🥇 IWSC Gold (95)
Rooted in the precipitous slopes of Vidor, Dal Din interprets Valdobbiadene tradition through a lens of technical precision, prioritizing a sharp, vibrant definition of Glera. This Brut distinguishes itself with vertical structure and tension, where floral fragrance intertwines with a calcareous mineral vein, yielding a profile of immaculate purity and energetic drive.
The Verdict: Described as ‘incredibly pure and joyful.’ It eschews excess to deliver the essence of Valdobbiadene: white flowers and compelling drinkability
🏅 EDITOR’S CHOICE & CRITICAL EXCELLENCE
Nino Franco | Primo Franco Valdobbiadene DOCG Dry 2024
Premi: 🏅 Falstaff (94) + 🏅 Suckling (92)
A historic icon of Valdobbiadene, Nino Franco elevates the Dry category to fine wine status, demonstrating a stylistic mastery that transcends the denomination’s heritage. The 2024 Primo Franco hails from a rigorous selection of high-altitude vineyards, where significant diurnal range preserves an aromatic profile of rare intensity. A masterclass in balance: the generous residual sugar is seamlessly woven into an acidic backbone that lends tension and unexpected vertical drive. Far from cloying, the creamy, enveloping texture amplifies ripe fruit notes, proving that sweetness—when supported by excellent raw material—can become a vehicle for complexity and noble territorial expression.
The Verdict: Falstaff and Suckling are staunch champions of this label. ‘A textbook Valdobbiadene.’ The sweetness is noble, accompanied by Williams pear and an enveloping creaminess that never fatigues the palate.
Conte Loredan Gasparini | Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut
Premi: 🏅 James Suckling (93)
Conte Loredan Gasparini rigorously interprets the unique identity of the Asolo Hills, championing a terroir distinguished by its singular geological matrix. Vines root deep into the celebrated ferretti—red, iron-rich clays that impart a muscular structure and deep mineral imprint. Austere and powerful, it delivers substantial volume and ferrous minerality, far removed from simple fruity aromatics.
The Verdict: Suckling rewards the structure: ‘Savory herbs, crushed apple, and salinity.’ A gastronomic Prosecco, capable of anchoring an entire meal.
BiancaVigna | Rive di Ogliano Extra Brut 2023
Premi: 🏅 Wine Spectator (92 pt) + 🏅 Wine Enthusiast (92 – Editor’s Choice) + 🏅 Suckling (91)
BiancaVigna epitomizes the denomination’s modern evolution. Though lacking the historical weight of its peers, the estate has established itself through a forensic, near-scientific approach to quality. In the Rive di Ogliano, the radical Extra Brut choice allows the terroir to speak unmasked, unveiling a solid mineral core and vibrant tension. Sophisticated structural architecture elevates this into a complex gastronomic partner or a wine for contemplation.
The Verdict: A darling of the US critics. Wine Enthusiast cites aromas of ‘wet gravel and mountain flowers,’ praising a piercing, mineral finish. A wine of tension.
Bellenda | San Fermo Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2024
Premi: 🏅 Falstaff (93 pt)
Bellenda reaffirms its reputation for innovation and complexity within Conegliano Valdobbiadene. Known for a distinctive technical philosophy, the winery employs specific protocols (including Sui Lieviti or Long Charmat) to confer depth and structure. San Fermo is a case in point. Sourced from the clay-limestone moraines of Carpesica, this cuvée (7 g/L residual sugar) benefits from 1–3 months aging on fine lees, enhancing aromatic finesse.
The Verdict: Falstaff rewards the evolved nose of ‘fresh pear and green apple with yeasty nuances.’ The connoisseur’s choice for a serious, gastronomic Prosecco.