As premier Italian Sparkling wine producer Follador seeks to create a niche for its premium range of award-winning Prosecco Valdobbiadene wines in travel retail, news of new quality regulations brought in by the Italian Ministry for Agricultural and Forestry Policies that will further separate the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’, has been greeted warmly by the company.
‘Prosecco is rather misunderstood,’ explains Follador marketing director Cristina Follador. ‘It tends to be thought of by consumers as a sparkling wine of a uniform quality whereas in fact, like Champagne, it can vary tremendously in superiority. We are aiming to promote our line of premium Prosecco wines in travel retail, and any new regulations that help us to distinguish the quality of our range is very welcome.’
With immediate effect (January 2012), DOC production Prosecco wines will be able to use a specific neck sticker, making a clear quality statement to the consumer, whilst also expressing the indentity of the area from which it comes. Prosecco DOC is wine produced from grapes grown in Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions and in ten Italian provinces: Treviso (where Follador is based), Belluno, Gorizia, Padua, Pordenone, Trieste, Udine, Venice and Vicenza.
Follador Prosecco, which is produced in the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene region, actually has DOCG status, which distinguishes it even further in terms of quality and superiority. ‘There has been a huge amount of “cheap” Prosecco on the market which, quite frankly, has not been doing the sectors image any good. This new system will help us to educate the consumer about Prosecco and will certainly help us to sell-in to the travel retail market, the further distinguishable quality marks can only be seen as positive,’ continued Cristina.
‘The choice of deliberately adopting an extremely strict control and traceability system is the sign that the area wants to ensure an effective governance of the new system, able to guarantee traceability and qualitative production. It's the first time that such a control and protection system is adopted for a doc wine and this is a further sign showing that the Prosecco Doc system has very clear ideas on the subject,’ said Cristina.
Interest in Prosecco has been growing year on year and Follador is the first company to introduce a premium selection of Prosecco to the travel retail market in a gift-tube format. Continues Cristina: ‘Follador Prosecco now has wide domestic distribution, particularly throughout the USA and Canada, Europe , the UK and parts of Asia including Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. Hotel and restaurant pouring is one of our strong-points and Follador is offered in some of the world’s top hotel groups, including Sheraton, Grand Hyatt, Kempinski, Mandarin Oriental, Marriot, Oriental and the Dorchester in London. Our growth in retail has really been customer lead with consumers requesting Follador having been introduced to it whilst in one of the hotels where we are present. Many of these consumers are clearly travellers and, consequently, we see this naturally following into a demand within the travel retail environment.’
For travel retail Follador is offering four Prosecco Valdobbiadene varieties:
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G Cuvee ‘Torri di Credazzo’ Extra Dry – the flagship of the brand’s most superior varietals with a consistency of quality that continues to impress even the most demanding experts
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Di Cartizze D.O.C.G – a fine sparking wine named after the area where the grapes are cultivated
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G Millesimato Brut – a refined and noble quality wine boasting a very fine perlage amidst a splendid combination of bouquet and flavours.
Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore D.O.C.G Millesimato Extra Dry – an elegant extra dry wine with an elegant balance of flavours.
Each wine is presented in an elegant four colour printed tube with a unique illustration designed to convey the brand’s understated, premium Italian credentials – perfect for gifting. New gift tubes will be introduced in order to also promote a collectability factor. Pricing is in the region of £19 with the gift box (24 Euros).
Follador Prosecco can be sampled at the Duty Free Show of the Americas on the World of Patria International booth (1300).
Notes for editors:
About Follador. Follador is one of Italy’s most prestigious Prosecco estates. Winemakers since 1769 the family winery is based in the town of Col San Martino and remains family-owned and run; Gianfranco Follador is the head winemaker and his wife and four children are all integral to the running of the winery. Col San Martino is a small village in the Northern part of the Province of Treviso, about 80km from Venice, located in the heart of the production area of Prosecco DOCG. Follador Prosecco is the perfect aperitif, great for cocktail parties and special occasions. For further information, visit: www.proseccofollador.com
Follador is the official Prosecco sponsor of the European Golf Senior Tour, as well as the official wine supplier to the BMW Italian Open.
About Prosecco. Prosecco wine is the most consumed sparkling wine in Italy and best represents Italy abroad. Originating from a grape of Glera and meant to be served quite cold, Prosecco is noted for its naturally dry characteristics and slightly bitter aftertaste. Produced using the Charmat Method, in which the secondary fermentation takes place in stainless steel tank, approximately 150 million bottles of Italian Prosecco Wine are produced annually. As of 2008, 60 percent of all Prosecco is made in the Conegliano and Valdobbiadene area. A still wine (tranquillo) is also made from Prosecco grapes. Prosecco Wine is protected as a DOCG within Italy, as Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene Superirore , Prosecco di Conegliano and Prosecco di Valdobbiadene.
About World of Patria. World of Patria is a specialist wine, beer and spirit distributor. It was founded in March 2006 by Rob Nichols to target the expatriate fraternity living in Europe. This expanded to cover large sections of the travel retail and duty free markets shortly after its inception. The company’s objective is to offer its customers a one-stop shop solution that provides them with a cost-effective and diverse portfolio enabling them to become leaders in their own market.
Press enquiries: Rowena Holland, Essential Communications. Email: row@essentialcommunications.org.
February 2012
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