Prosecco producer praises ‘quality’ vintage

Pre-harvest forecasts predicting the high quality of the 2015 vintage have proved accurate, Prosecco brand Follador has said.

The vats at the Follador winery (Photo: Follador)

The company claimed that this year’s harvest, which has just been completed, was marked by the “singular quality” of the grapes.

Francesca Follador, winemaker at Follador, said the company’s unique winemaking processes helped to bring out the best in what was already “excellent” fruit.

She said: “This year especially, the effectiveness of cryo-maceration gave the best results thanks to the excellent quality of the grapes. This winemaking process, which we always apply, allows us to extract the best properties from the grapes themselves before pressing them, leaving the juice to macerate on the skins for about 12 hours.”

The 2015 harvest has produced “a product rich in aromas, with an intensely fragrant floral bouquet,” Ms Follador revealed.

Cryo-maceration, or cold maceration, is the process of extracting colour and flavour from grapes before beginning fermentation.

The brand’s founder, Gianfranco Follador, was one of the pioneers of cold-maceration of grapes for Prosecco, and Follador is among the few companies that still employs this winemaking technique, it claimed.

Cristina Follador explains, “The cryo-maceration (or cold-maceration) consists of leaving the juice to macerate on the skins for about 12 hours at 12°C. This winemaking process allows us to extract the best properties from the grape skins before pressing them and proceeding with the primary fermentation. Follador uses cryo-maceration to ensure the highest quality sparkling wine base. This year especially, the effectiveness of cryo-maceration gave the best results thanks to the great quality of the grapes. In fact, the harvest in 2015 proved to be exalted and allowed us to obtain a product rich in aromas, with an intensely fragrant, fruity and floral bouquet.”