Costco Champagne Vs Prosecco: Which Is Better For Its Price?

With its signature cork pop and bubbly effervescence, Champagne and sparkling wines like cava and prosecco are often at the center of celebrations, toasting birthdays, anniversaries, or the New Year. However, sparkling wines can be a costly indulgence, with some bottles costing hundreds to thousands of dollars. 

Costco aims to help curb the cost of items like these by offering its quality Kirkland Signature brand items at affordable prices, typically representative of a similar name brand. The wholesaler does this with everything from garbage bags and laundry detergent to wine, beer, and liquor, including Champagne and prosecco. 

Still, even with Costco's low, low price, the Kirkland Signature Champagne is one of the highest-priced bottles of the store's Kirkland Signature wine offerings. Conversely, the Kirkland Signature prosecco is one of the least expensive wines from Costco. Which has us wondering: Which is better for the price? To find out, we decided to pop a few bottles, taste testing each while evaluating the history, provenance, and production. As a Certified Sommelier and wine professional, I have taken each of these elements into account to determine if either is worth splurging on for your next wine-tasting party or celebration. And if so, which is the better option?

Champagne is the type of sparkling wine that hails from the region in France of the same name. Champagne falls under the French designation as an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), which sets the standards for its production. Only wines from Champagne can carry the title. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the region is known as the birthplace of sparkling wine. In addition to the sparkling fizziness of Champagne, an essential element of the wine is the grape blend. 

All Champagne wines are a blend of regional grapes, distinctly chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier. Each of these varieties thrives in the Burgundian region's cool temperatures. Producers harvest grapes for Champagne early when the acidity is high before the grapes have reached full ripeness. Kirkland Signature's Brut Champagne brings the three main varieties together, with pinot noir giving weight and alcohol to the wine, pinot muenier lending acidity and fruitiness, and chardonnay bringing elegance. 

Costco's $19.99 non-vintage Champagne is from the village of Verzenay. Verzenay vineyards hold the Grand Cru designation. While there are 319 villages within Champagne, only 17 are Grand Cru. Representing the best place to grow grapes for the production of Champagne, the Grand Cru vineyards cover about 8.5% of Champagne's total planted vineyards. Verzenay is within Grande Montagne de Reims with chalky soils, ideal for chardonnay and limestone marl soils, where pinot noir thrives. The soil types work well with high-acid grape varieties, creating finessed wines.

Prosecco is the wine for any occasion as it is light, refreshing, and exudes effortless bubbly vibrancy. Costing only $7.69 a bottle, Costco's Kirkland Signature Prosecco Superiore Asolo DOCG follows the highest production and taste regulations for Prosecco wines. Designation of Controlled and Guaranteed Origin (DOCG) requires wineries to produce these wines using only fruit from a specific area within the greater northeastern Italian region of Veneto known for growing high-quality grapes. Vineyards within the DOCG zones lie on steep hillsides. Asolo is one of two Prosecco wines to hold the DOCG quality designation; the other is Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. 

Prosecco wines classified with the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) designation ensure the grapes are grown within a specific production zone, typically nutrient-rich flatlands. However, there is no taste quality guarantee with DOC wines. The DOCG indication means that a tasting panel of experts tries the wines and guarantees their quality after a closely regulated growth and production process. From vineyards that are best for growing glera fruit, the main variety in Prosecco, these wines tend to have more complexity, structure, and varietal character than Prosecco DOC wines.

While the Prosecco DOC covers over 24,000 hectares, the Prosecco DOCG wines production zone is limited to 6,600 hectares. While both are still dwarfed by the greater Champagne area, which covers 34,000 hectares, comparing the DOCG area to the Grand Cru area puts these regions' growing quality grapes on a more even playing field.

The production of Champagne and prosecco begins similarly with the primary fermentation occurring in large stainless steel tanks or barrels (depending on the wine style). The difference between the two sparkling wines comes during the second fermentation to create the bubbles. 

For Champagne, the second fermentation occurs in the bottle. Known as Méthode Champenoise, or the Champagne method/traditional method, after the first fermentation the winemaker bottles the Champagne with a bit of additional yeast and sugar. As the secondary fermentation begins the yeast eats the sugars, turning them into alcohol while producing carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide remains trapped inside the bottle, naturally creating the bubbles. 

Prosecco uses a production method known classically as Charmat, or in Italy, metodo Italiano. With the Charmat method, after the primary fermentation, the wine is put into large pressurized tanks with sugar and yeast for the secondary fermentation. The sugar and yeast create carbon dioxide, which in turn creates bubbles.

With the Champagne method, non-vintage sparkling wine bottles are required to age a minimum of 12 months on the lees (spent yeast strains) during the secondary fermentation. Over this time, the wine takes on creaminess, structure, and rich texture, a byproduct of the lees aging. The style produces a more consistent mousse (foam) with smaller bubbles than the Charmat method. 

In the Charmat method, the aging occurs much more quickly, often within a few weeks. The style makes fresh, youthful, aromatic wine with a notable light, crisp texture. The process is also much less costly – appropriate for inexpensive wines.

Manuel Janisson, owner of Champagne Janisson & Fils in Verzenay, makes the Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne. The sparkling wine is the type of Champagne that has a dry palate known as brut style. The amount of sugar in a brut-style wine is zero to 12 grams per liter. Like many sparkling wines from Champagne, the non-vintage bubbly uses fruit from the current vintage as well as past vintages to create a wine that shows similar characteristics year after year, creating a consistent flavor profile for the brand.

While Costco does not include aging time on the bottle, by law, the wine must age a minimum of 12 months on the lees (yeast strains) and an additional three months after the removal of the lees through disgorgement. This aging gives the wine a deep golden hue. While the color indicates a lengthy aging time, the aromas open with fresh notes of lime leaf, citrus, and white flowers. There is a hint of yeasty brioche, although it is more subtle than I would have expected. The bubbles have a delicate nature, dancing across the palate with elegant ease. 

With 12% alcohol, the wine's palate shows more of the savoriness expected in a Champagne with layers of biscuit dough and marzipan that meld with ripe green apple, lemon zest, and fresh cream. While the finish is short and the taste is not overly complex, the Champagne has a lovely richness that is intriguing, especially for less than $20 a bottle. And, with such a low price you won't mind mixing it into a Champagne cocktail. 

Kirkland Signature delivers a floral, light, and refreshing sparkling wine with its Prosecco Superiore Asolo DOCG. Asolo has a mix of calcareous marl and ferrous clay soils, which contribute herbal and mineral notes to the wine. The wine is extra dry in style, meaning it is sweeter than the brut style, with between 12 and 17 grams per liter of residual sugar. While the amount of sugar translates to sweetness on the palate, a lively freshness comes through. That sweetness, along with the increased complexity and character of a typical prosecco, makes it a nice pairing for spicy dishes, like Thai chicken curry. 

The Superiore sparkling wine has 11% alcohol by volume (ABV), one-half of a percent higher than the 10.5% ABV minimum required for prosecco wines, but not as high as the 12.5% ABV that a completely dry prosecco wine can have. Though Costco does not include details on the production process for its Prosecco Superiore, the Charmat method is inherently faster than the traditional method, which is preferred for the wine as its freshness is a crucial element.  

With a light straw hay color, the aromatic wine shows layers of honeysuckle, lemon-lime, Asian pear, and ripe apple, with subtle notes of crushed stone and wild herbs. The vibrant bubbles are persistent, continually rising to the top of the glass throughout the tasting. While not as delicate as Costco's Champagne, the wine has effortless appeal with a fruity sweetness many will find attractive.

Costco's sparkling wine options meet the expectations surrounding wines from the two regions. It isn't easy to compare the two side by side, as the production style and sweetness levels are drastically different. Still, both deliver the quality we have come to expect from Kirkland Signature items, and Costco guarantees its store-branded products allowing you a refund of partially used food items. It truly comes down to taste preference to determine if one is better than the other. The Champagne has more richness, texture, and weight, which is more to my taste. It is perfect for sipping on its own or pairing with classic favorites like potato chips, oysters, or a bowl of buttery lobster spaghetti.

Kirkland Signature Prosecco brings more fruity freshness to the table, which is ideal for cocktails, like when mixing a batch of mimosas. The sweetness level is significantly higher in the prosecco than in Costco's Champagne. If you prefer sweeter wines, you will love this option as it is one of the best cheap "Champagnes" of this style. The prosecco's $7.69 price is an absolute bargain for the quality designation the wine holds, making it also one of the best Kirkland Signature wines at Costco. Comparable prosecco DOCG bottles will cost you double to triple that price. 

However, I found that after a glass, the prosecco's sugary taste became cloying. The Champagne delivers the roundness, texture, and character expected from a brut-style sparkling wine from an esteemed area. While not the most complex wine I have enjoyed from the region, it over-delivers for the $19.99 price.

In evaluating these wines, I drew upon my experience as a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine who has spent the past 20 years reviewing and writing about wine. To determine if either is worth your investment I considered each of the wine's production styles, regional provenance, representation of the terroir, quality designations, price, and most importantly taste. It is always important to remember that a high price does not guarantee its value, and sometimes inexpensive items will surprise you with their quality.