Hosting a dinner with your friends can be a blast, but Costco shoppers weren’t thinking about having a bottle explode spontaneously when choosing their Kirkland Signature Prosecco (the one with a purple/lilac label).
Not only is the bottle prone to shatering, no, the warehouse retailer warns that unopened bottles could shatter on their own, posing a real risk of cuts and eye injuries in kitchens, garages, or anywhere people store wine at home. (If a bottle has already exploded for no reason in the middle of the night at your house, congratulations; it’s a scientifically explainable phenomenon, and not a poltergeist from Paranormal Activity.)
Which exact Costco wine bottle has been recalled?
If you are not sure if you have bought the bomb-ticking wine batch or not (Costco sells a huge variety of wine and spirits, after all), don’t worry, we have your back:
- Name: Kirkland Signature Prosecco Valdobbiadene
- Item number: 1879870
- Selling date: April 25 through August 26, 2025
- States involved: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
As if it weren’t bad enough, having to throw away a good bottle of wine, Costco’s letter warns that some unopened bottles might shatter without any handling —hence the adamant “Do not bring it back to the warehouse for a refund, ffs”. Down below there are instructions on how to dispose of the bottles safely.
If your prosecco came as a gift or you are unsure of the date, treat any matching bottle with caution and ask your local warehouse’s Member Services to check your member number or a credit card record. Even if your bottle looks perfect, don’t assume appearance can rule out risk.
What is prosecco, and how should you store it?
Prosecco is Italy’s most popular sparkling wine (and the favorite posh booze selection for 30-year-old women who still like to party but wanna feel cosmopolitan and Europe-savvy… ask me how I know wink). It is made mostly from the Glera grape.
It’s made with a variety of grape called Glera. Unlike traditional-method Champagne, prosecco usually gets its bubbles from a second fermentation in a sealed tank.
Because freshness is the goal (well, apart from getting drunk, you know), prosecco is best when stored in a cool and dark place. If you have a wine fridge, setting it to 50 to 55°F is the perfect temperature. For the rest of us mortals who have not deluded ourselves into thinking we are upper-middle class, leaving it in the pantry works too (chill it in the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving).
If you like to sip a glass with friends over the weekend, it’s better to buy it a couple of days before instead of trying to store it correctly at home —unless you have a wine cellar, that is.
What to do if you have one of these bottles at home
Follow Costco’s instructions to the letter:
- Do not open the bottle.
- Do not take it back to Costco.
- Wrap the bottle in paper towels, slide it into a plastic bag, and discard it in a way that avoids handling broken glass.
- Then visit your Costco with the notice or proof of purchase and request a refund.
No matter how annoyed you are at having to toss a $7.69 wine bottle, it’s far, far cheaper than a ER trip because it exploded in your hand. We don’t want to tell you to call a bomb squad… but wearing gardening gloves and glasses while bagging it up for the trash might be a good idea.