Nielsen: Imported Dry Rosé Keeps up Double-Digit Climb

Retail sales of imported dry rosés continued their double-digit growth in the first half of 2011, according to annual survey numbers from The Nielsen Company. Sales of imported rosé table wines priced above $12 shot up 19.5% on dollars and 11.9% on volume for the 52-week period ending June 25, 2011. This is compared to 4.5% and 3.4%, respectively, for total U.S. retail table wine sales.

The average price per bottle for greater-than-$12 imported rosé wine also increased, jumping nearly $1 over the prior year, to $14.55. Imports made up 75% of all rosés sold at retail in the U.S. during this period, the Nielsen report stated.

"Rosé wine has great appeal. It has been our focus in Provence for 26 centuries," said Francois Millo, director of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence. "The climate, the soil, and the knowledge of our producers all combine to make Provence rosé something Americans increasingly value."

Data reflects U.S. retail sales of imported rosé table wines priced $12 and above, within the Nielsen food, drug, and liquor markets for the 52-week period ending June 25, 2011.

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THE BUZZ

Provence Rosé Makes a Summer Media Splash

From the trade press to major newspapers to foodie blogs, the U.S. media is buzzing about the continued growth of dry rosé wine. Here are a few recent features and reviews:

• Times Union (NY): Wines from the Côtes de Provence
• Great Taste: Provence Sets New Record in Wine Exports to the U.S.
• HometownAnnapolis: Rosés a Perfect Match for Warm Weather
• Beverage Media: Drinking Pink
• San Francisco Chronicle: Dry Rosé Under $20
• Huffington Post: Seeing the World Through Rosé Colored Wine Glasses
• Miami Dish: Rosé Renaissance in Miami

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TRAVEL

October 2011 Trade Trip: A Few Spots Left!

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JUST RELEASED

New Resources: Provence Rosé Brochure
+ Trade Buying Guide

To support summer and fall rosé sales, Vins de Provence has released two new publications for use by the U.S. wine trade:

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At Festivals and Tastings, Vins de Provence Builds on Growing Consumer Awareness

As the average price of rosé wine in the U.S. trends upward, Vins de Provence is focusing on promotional events at the higher end of the market. Consumers who know Provence and have an affinity for the Mediterranean lifestyle are most likely to embrace rosé and spread the word. Here, then, are a few of our sponsored events:

HAPPENING SOON

Newport WineFest [Aug. 19-21] Rosé wines from as many as eight Côtes de Provence producers will be poured at the Newport (Rhode Island) WineFest, New England’s largest outdoor wine and food festival. Côtes de Provence will participate in four grand tasting sessions (three for consumers and one for trade and media) over Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available here.

RECENT HAPPENINGS

Food & Wine Classic in Aspen Hundreds of wine lovers sampled Provence rosés at four tastings and a pairing seminar during this landmark June weekend in the Colorado Rockies.

Condé Nast Traveler Book Launch In honor of the release of two books set in Provence, Vins de Provence poured a variety of Provence rosés for guests at the upscale Soho House New York.

Bastille Day on 60th Street Vins de Provence was the exclusive wine sponsor of the annual Bastille Day street fest in New York. Festival-goers took part in a Sensory Challenge (exploring Provence rosé with all five senses), a Twitter scavenger hunt, and two Provence wine-tasting events.

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Summer Rosé Tasting Series Underway on Both Coasts

The Côtes de Provence appellation is again sponsoring complimentary rosé tastings throughout the summer at premier shops on both coasts – including Astor Wines & Spirits (New York City), Zachys Wine and Liquor (Scarsdale, NY), Federal Wine & Spirits (Boston), The Wine House (Los Angeles), and Bristol Farms (southern California). Provence rosés are also being featured at select restaurants. For all dates and locations, see our Events page.

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WINEMAKING

In Making Rosé, Technique Determines Style

Provence winemakers face plenty of decisions, but a key choice is whether to produce rosé using the direct pressure method or the maceration method. These two approaches can yield rosé wines with notably different flavor profiles:

• Rosé from direct pressure: Red grapes are pressed, and the runoff juice is immediately captured and fermented. This method produces rosés that are very pale, while still displaying a range of colors – from rose petal to coral. In general, the nose is fruity and floral. The taste is lively and light, with hints of citrus. (In the chart below, see "Rosés from pressing.")

• Rosé from maceration with skins: Red grapes are vatted and allowed to macerate, juice and skins together, before the juice is bled off and fermented. (This is also sometimes called the saignée method, which is French for "bleeding.") Rosés made this way are generally more intensely colored, with shades ranging from salmon to peony. These wines give full expression to red fruits (strawberry, cherry, raspberry), spices (cinnamon, pepper), and aromatic plants (scrubland, sage). They have a smooth, structured taste and leave a pleasant freshness in the mouth. (In the chart below, see "Rosés from maceration.")

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TERROIR SERIES

Sainte-Victoire Mountain Region of the Côtes de Provence

Côtes de Provence, the largest appellation in Provence, is diverse in geology and climate. Its Sainte-Victoire Mountain Region is one of three certified terroir denominations within the appellation. This zone, colored green in the map below, lies east of the city of Aix-en-Provence.

The area is bordered on the north by the Sainte-Victoire Mountain and on the south by the étoile chain. The vineyards are found on the slopes and bench rock. Soils are shallow, with a sandy-clay texture, a reddish-pink color, and a high limestone content.

Surrounded on three sides by mountains, the Sainte-Victoire Mountain vineyards have a continental micro-climate. Yet because the Mistral winds aren’t completely blocked, the vines still benefit from their cleansing effects. The area’s high-quality vineyards produce subtle, elegant rosés; bold, smooth reds; and lively, aromatic whites.

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