by Dr. Brent Haggard
For the 52 weeks to March the 10th 2007, Nielsen reported that rosé table wines accounted for more than $9 million in sales in food and liquor stores, up 45% over the previous year, making $6 and over versions "one of
the hottest emerging growth segments in all table and sparking wine." This compares with 8% over all table wines. Sales of sparkling rosé wines showed similar trends, jumping 40%, compared to just 4% for all sparkling wines.
Top-selling rosé wines are also much more diverse in terms of country of origin than premium-priced chardonnays, cabernets and merlots, Neilsen reported. Six of the top 10 sellers are from France, two are American, and the remaining entries are from Spain and South Africa. With other varietals, in comparison, at least eight of the top 10 are produced in the United States.
"It used to be that pink wine meant white zinfandel or generic jug wines," said Brian Lechner, director of client service for Nielsen Beverage Alcohol, a unit of the global information and media company. "That is rapidly changing. The phenomenal growth in higher-priced rosé wine over tells us this segment is finding a sophisticated new audience."
Twenty-eight new brands of premium rosé wine were introduced last year, nearly twice as many as the 15 brands launched in 2005.
