Follador Prosecco takes on Kazakhstan

Follador Prosecco has made its first foray into the transcontinental market of Kazakhstan thanks to a distribution deal with importer, the Raimbek Group.

The Follador family (Photo: Follador)

Kazakhstan straddles Europe and Asia, and is home to a population that is 70% Muslim. Despite the vast majority of its population abstaining from alcohol on religious grounds, Follador says Italian products are becoming popular in the country, creating an opportunity for Prosecco.

This is in part due to the increasing number of shops that have made Italian food and wine known to the Kazakhs. The Parmigiano restaurant in Almaty, for example, is now a Follador flagship store.

“Kazakhstan enjoys widespread prosperity, and consumers are extremely receptive to the charm of Made in Italy, as is always the case in countries with an emerging economy,” says Follador. “People look for certified quality products that can be seen as a status symbol, and that is a role that Follador Prosecco fits very well.”

The expansion into Kazakhstan follows the 2018 harvest, which the Follador team described as a record year with volumes rebounding, much like the rest of Europe, following the meagre 2017 vintage.

In Conegliano Valdobbiadene bud burst came a few days later than in 2017, with rainfall and high summer temperatures bringing about “timely” flowering and an earlier than normal harvest which was “abundant and of good quality”.

Winemaker Francesca Follador, said: “This is a record vintage we will remember over time, especially for the significant advance on harvest dates due to early ripening.

“The technology that we apply in the cellar has allowed these factors not to affect the quality of the musts obtained. The vinification, carried out with the exclusive ‘Gianfranco Follador Method’, has enhanced the quality of the grapes by obtaining a greater minerality, with the profusion of intense aromas typical of the D.O.C.G. grapes.”