Prosecco is often treated as one simple category. A light sparkling wine, easy to drink, always fresh, often slightly fruity. But once you start paying attention to where it comes from and how it is classified, it becomes much more layered. The labels are not just technical details. They are a guide to style, origin and quality.
Tasting Follador Prosecco, situated in the hills next to Valdobbiadene made this very clear. Their wines move across different expressions of Prosecco, and without trying to be educational, they naturally explain how the whole system works.
How to read Prosecco: DOC and DOCG in real terms
The first thing to understand is the difference between DOC and DOCG. These two terms appear on almost every bottle, usually on the neck label, and they already tell you what kind of wine you are holding.
DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) is the larger, more common category. It covers a wide area across Veneto and Friuli, mostly on flat land. Production here is extensive, with hundreds of millions of bottles made each year. The wines are designed to be consistent and approachable, with the classic Prosecco profile: green apple, pear, light florals, sometimes a soft hint of sweetness. It is the style most people know, and it works well for casual drinking, aperitivo, or mixing into cocktails.
DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita), on the other hand, shifts everything into a more precise direction. The vineyards are no longer flat but steep, often difficult to work, and harvesting is done by hand. The two main DOCG areas—Conegliano Valdobbiadene and Asolo—are smaller, more focused zones where the landscape directly shapes the wine. Acidity becomes sharper, aromatics more defined, and the texture more refined.
Within this DOCG level, you can go even further. Some bottles carry the name of a specific area, called Rive. These wines come from one defined commune, often from very steep slopes with particular soil and exposure. Production is lower, and the wines tend to show more character and detail. At the very top sits Cartizze, a small and highly regarded zone known for its balance and richness.
Sweetness levels
There is also another layer that often confuses people: sweetness. In Prosecco, terms like Brut and Extra Dry do not mean what you expect. Brut is actually drier, while Extra Dry contains more residual sugar and feels slightly softer. This small detail already changes how the wine behaves with food or on its own.
Prosecco labels can be misleading if you don’t know this:
- Brut: 0–12 g/l (dry)
- Extra Dry: 12–17 g/l (actually slightly sweeter)
- Dry: 17–32 g/l (noticeably sweet)
So “Extra Dry” is not drier than Brut. It is the opposite.
Once you understand these elements, the label becomes a map. You can start to predict the style before even opening the bottle.
Follador Prosecco dal 1769: rooted in the right place
Follador Prosecco is based exactly where this classification system matters most, in the hills near Valdobbiadene. This is not just a good location, it is the core of Prosecco Superiore.
The estate dates back to 1769 and is now run by the ninth generation. Today, four siblings manage the winery, keeping it fully family-owned while producing around 1.8 million bottles each year. With around 40 hectares of vineyards, they have enough scale to cover different styles, but still remain closely connected to their land.
What stood out during the tasting is how naturally everything fits together. There is no sense of chasing trends or overcomplicating things. The wines feel like a direct extension of the place and the decisions made in the vineyard.
They are also a certified Equalitas winery, which is a structured approach to sustainability. It is not just about reducing impact, but about managing the vineyard in a way that keeps it balanced over time. Water use, soil health and vineyard work are all part of this system. You can feel this in the wines, especially in their clarity and precision.
A closer look at the method: why the wines feel so clean
One of the key elements behind Follador Prosecco is their use of cryomaceration. It sounds technical, but in practice it is quite simple.
After harvest, the grapes are cooled before pressing. This slows down oxidation and protects the delicate aromas of the Glera grape. At the same time, the short contact with the skins allows a gentle extraction of flavour and structure. It adds a layer of complexity without making the wine heavier.
After this stage, the wines go through the Charmat method, where the second fermentation happens in tank. What Follador does differently is allowing a longer time on the lees. This gives the bubbles a finer texture and adds a subtle creaminess to the palate.
The result is not a dramatic change in style, but a refinement. The wines feel more precise, more balanced, and slightly more textured than what you might expect from standard Prosecco.
Tasting Follador Prosecco: four wines, one clear progression
Tasting through Follador Prosecco shows how small shifts—mainly in sweetness level and vineyard origin—change the whole character of the wine. The structure stays consistent, but the expression moves from very precise and dry to softer and more open.
XZERO – Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut 2024
Blend & Vinification: Glera with a small part of Chardonnay; cryomaceration; Charmat method with extended lees ageing.
An unusual style for Prosecco, clearly focused on dryness and structure. On the nose: green apple, pear, citrus, white blossom, a touch of honeysuckle. The palate is driven by high acidity, light in body but very precise. No softness from sugar, everything is clean and linear. The finish is long, citrusy and refreshing. A Prosecco that moves away from the typical fruity softness and shows a more focused, almost sharp profile.
Fosélios – Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Brut 2024
Blend & Vinification: Glera and Chardonnay; cryomaceration; Charmat method with long lees contact; around 10 g/l residual sugar.
A newer wine in the range, showing a riper and more open style. Aromas: yellow pear, quince, lemon peel, acacia, honey, with a slightly creamy note. The palate is more rounded compared to XZERO, with fine perlage and a softer texture. Citrus freshness is still present, but balanced by riper fruit. The finish is smooth, slightly creamy, and well integrated. This wine shows the core style of Follador—clean, but with more generosity.
Nani dei Berti – Rive di Col San Martino DOCG Brut 2024
Blend & Vinification: Glera and Chardonnay; single Rive origin (Col San Martino); limited production; cryomaceration; Charmat method; around 8 g/l residual sugar.
A step into a more specific origin. The Rive di Col San Martino is a small and defined area, and the wine reflects this with more detail and complexity. On the nose: flinty, fresh, with lemon peel, candied pear, elderflower, white blossoms and a hint of white pepper. The palate shows medium-plus body, very fine and elegant perlage, and a more structured feel. The same aromas carry through, with a long finish combining citrus and a subtle spicy note. A more serious and site-driven expression of Prosecco.
Ruiol Castei – Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Dry 2024
Blend & Vinification: Glera and Chardonnay; cryomaceration; Charmat method; around 13 g/l residual sugar.
A softer and more approachable style, but still balanced. The nose shows orange, ripe yellow apple, white blossoms and honey, with a light candy-like character. On the palate, it is rounder and slightly fuller, with gentle sweetness and a smooth texture. The finish is softer, with a lingering sweet impression but enough freshness to keep it in balance. A more easy-going expression, without losing structure.
This lineup makes it easy to understand how Follador Prosecco works: the same foundation, but different expressions depending on sweetness, site and intention.
Why Follador Prosecco makes the system easy to understand
What makes Follador Prosecco interesting is not just the quality of the wines, but how clearly they reflect the structure of the region.
Through their range, you can move from a very dry, tension-driven style to a softer, more rounded one. You can taste the difference between a general DOCG wine and a more specific Rive expression. You can also see how small changes in sugar or technique influence the final result.
This makes the classification of Prosecco easier to understand, not as theory, but as something you can actually taste.
And once you start to connect these elements—label, origin, style—the category opens up. Prosecco stops being just a simple sparkling wine and becomes something more detailed, where even small differences matter.
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