Guénaël Revel, a French journalist and sommelier from Quebec, is the author of a blog called “Monsieur Bulles” [Mr. Bubbles], which is dedicated to sparkling wines from around the world. Recently he published an article in which he informs us that the consumption of “vins effervescents” continues to grow throughout the world with an increase in consumption of 4.1% in the decade 2005/2015, compared to still wines whose consumption rose a mere 1.3%.

According to Revel, this success can be attributed to what sparkling wine represents, especially in a decade marked by continuing economic crisis. The columnist says he believes “the festive sharing and escaping from daily thoughts and stress” are what drive people to bubbly wine.

We’ll drink to that, but we’d also like to clarify that there is a difference in quality within the sparkling wine category and it is vast. From indiscriminately common wines to those that have a history, an identity and production mode fundamentally different; not to mention the type of grapes used, production costs, the specific characteristics of the different terroirs- there is much to consider.

That is why on our blog you can find and download numerous pieces explaining the difference between the major sparkling wine regions, their production techniques, and the grapes and terroir that influence the final product. Not all sparkling wine is created equal by any means.

Take for instance Italy and its world famous Prosecco. Even here there are different tiers, and Follador is proud to be situated at the top within the terroir of Conegliano Valdobbiadene, home to the vineyards of our family: a name inextricably linked to the word “Champagne” which is seen by many as the best of our neighbors to the north.