Rosé has evolved into the most clichéd of beverages: it’s a drive-thru, a pool party, a hashtag. At the same time, it’s become one of the most powerful forces in the beverage category. It’s now a third channel of revenue for wine makers, retailers, and distributors, elbowing its way alongside the traditional categories of red and white.
“There’s been a decoupling of rosé from the rest of wine; its own alcohol category,” says Rodolphe Boulanger, vice president of beer, wine, and spirits at Fresh Direct, an online grocer based in the Northeast U.S. with sales somewhere just south of $1 billion. When Boulanger joined Fresh Direct in 2014, four lonely rosés were for sale. That number leapt to 25 in 2015 and 45 in 2016. When Boulanger sent out a request for samples earlier this year, he was taken aback by what came in. “The level of innovation and new product launches surprised us,” he says. Today the ecommerce grocer has more than 90 rosés in its assortment. One of its most popular is Maris, a canned organic wine from France.
In January, Nielsen reported that the rosé category (including sparkling and still) had reached a valuation of $389 million annually. Still rosé is up more than 57 percent over the last 52 weeks, outpacing the overall category of wine, which is growing at a rate of a little more than 2 percent. That’s more than each of Riesling, Zinfandel, White Zinfandel, Malbec, or Syrah/Shiraz. In terms of volume, still rosé is up 40%.
And while everyone is cheering for craft beer, the past five years in sales show that consumers are spending more on wine and spirits.