Prosecco doesn't pretend to be Champagne. That's what makes it good.
Where Champagne is about complexity, toast, and years of aging on the lees, Prosecco is about fruit, fizz, and having something cold and cheerful in your glass. They're different products solving different problems, and comparing them is like comparing a croissant to a pizza — both excellent, totally different purposes.
The method matters. Champagne gets its bubbles from a second fermentation inside the bottle, where dead yeast cells add biscuit and brioche flavors over years of contact. Prosecco's bubbles come from tank fermentation (the Charmat method), which preserves the grape's fresh, fruity character. Less complexity, more immediacy. That's not a flaw — it's the whole point.
Prosecco DOCG (Conegliano-Valdobbiadene) is where the quality is. These are hillside vineyards — some steep enough that mechanical harvesting is impossible — in the hills north of Venice. The wines have more texture, more persistence in the bubbles, and more flavor than the flat-land DOC stuff. Col Vetoraz Valdobbiadene ($15-18) is my everyday pick: green apple, white flowers, a creamy mousse, and a finish that actually has something to say. Nino Franco Rustico ($16-19) is another benchmark — slightly richer, honeyed pear, consistently good vintage to vintage.
Cartizze is the Grand Cru of Prosecco. A 267-acre hillside within Valdobbiadene that produces the most concentrated, aromatic Prosecco there is. Bisol Cartizze ($35-45) is floral, peachy, and about as serious as Prosecco gets. Is it worth $35? If you love sparkling wine and want to see what Prosecco can actually do, yes. For a Wednesday night aperitif, probably not.
Basic Prosecco DOC (the $8-12 range) is fine. Not exciting, but fine. La Marca ($10-12) is reliable. Mionetto ($10-12) is reliable. These are the bottles you buy for mimosas, Aperol Spritzes, and weeknight "something bubbly." Don't expect depth. Don't dissect them. Just drink them cold.
The Brut vs. Extra Dry confusion trips everyone up. In Prosecco (and sparkling wine generally), "Extra Dry" is actually sweeter than "Brut." The naming convention is historically backwards and everyone in the wine industry agrees it's confusing. If you want dry: Brut. If you want a touch of sweetness: Extra Dry. If you want bone-dry: Brut Nature or Zero Dosage (these exist but they're less common in Prosecco).
At a restaurant, Prosecco by the glass is the best way to start a meal. It's light enough not to fill you up, bubbly enough to feel festive, and cheap enough that you won't notice the restaurant markup as painfully as you would with Champagne. It's also excellent with fried appetizers — the bubbles and acid cut through oil. Calamari and a cold glass of Prosecco is one of life's small, correct pleasures.
Drink it young. Prosecco is made for the current vintage. Don't age it. Don't collect it. Open it, drink it cold, and buy another one next week.