In 1999 Silvano inherited two hectares from each of his grandfathers, and all four are ideally located in terms of soil and climate for glera. Though Silvano and his sister, Alberta, had only finished secondary school, they decided to carry on the winemaking traditions of their paternal grandfather and invested in a consultant enologist to help form their craft. This turned out to be a mistake, as Silvano soon found himself with mass-marketed wines that were heavily fermented with sky-high residual sugars. It was time to take back the dignity and genuineness of his wines. In 2007, they did just that. A couple of years prior, Silvano had taken interest in organic and then biodynamic farming. Using only natural fertilizers in the vineyard, they harvested in small crates, stopped clarifying the must and turned to spontaneous fermentation. They then decided that part of their Prosecco would undergo secondary fermentation with the Classical method, which officially brought them into a new, niche category of respectful, resourceful Valdobbiadene winemakers. “I do not consider myself a fanatic naturalist who leaves everythign completely to nature or to chance. I just wish to guide the natural process, interfering s little as possible and only when it seems necessary to ensure that clarity, fitness and flavour is maintained without altering the wine’s natural balance.”

Follador’s hectares are located in the Cartizze sub-area, which is a defined, hilly area that extends over 108 hectares and is known as the apex of quality within the Prosecco denomination. It forms a pentagon between Santo Stefano, Saccol and San Pietro di Barbozza in the heart of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG. It has south facing exposition guaranteeing homogenous maturing of the grapes and sufficient sugar levels. A constant breeze blows from the mountains that helps the vines evades humidity, while the terrain itself is rich in clay and minerals allowing the vines to seek deep roots and guaranteeing water reserves that offer constant nutrition. Last but not least, the yields are limited in Cartizze to 120 q.li/ha (significantly less than other production areas in Prosecco). In fact, in all of Cartizze only 1.2 million bottles are produced a year.

Follador is particularly in tune with the soils “aliveness”, insisting that in its truest, most natural state the vitality and fertility of the soil is capable of an intimate relationship with the vines. Thus, no pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used in the vineyard but copper and sulphur are distributed to control mildew. Follador incorporates several elements of biodynamic farming, including spreading horn manure and compost preparations in the autumn and spring to increase microbial life. Pruning is carefully managed to control the number of buds on each vine, and everything is done by hand. Silvano prefers to harvest when the grape is “sweet but still crunchy” to ensure acidity remains high.

The grapes are all pressed whole-cluster and immediately subject to a cold static decantation. The must then ferments spontaneously in temperature controlled cement tanks without help from activators or non-indigenous yeasts which allows the micro-organisms both from the grapes themselves and the winery to work the must. Silvano strongly believes this is the only way to guarantee genuine aromas and flavors tied to the soil and the vine. After fermentation the wine is racked to remove the gross lees and a small amount of sulphur is added before it rests through the winter in cement. In March the wine undergoes light clarification and sometimes an added dose of sugar to obtain the right pressure. A selected yeast is then added and secondary fermentation takes place in pressurized autoclaves, which Silvano asserts brings out the character of the wine whose lightness, rather than its intensity, is compelling.