Two reports released in January 2013 confirm that the imported Provence rose wine category continues to see dynamic growth and rising popularity in the United States. One study measures annual sales of imported rose at retail, while the other reports on exports of rose from Provence, France – the world’s rose capital – to the United States. Viewed together, the numbers tell a story of rose growth that continues to far outpace the U.S. wine market as a whole.
Provence Rose Exports Up 41%
Exports of rose wines from Provence to the U.S. jumped 41% on volume and 43% on value from November 2011 to November 2012, according to the CIVP/Provence Wine Council and the French customs agency. This comes on top of a 62% jump in volume one year ago. Provence rose exports to the U.S. have grown at double-digit rates each year since 2003.
Provence, the oldest winegrowing area in France, is the largest wine region specializing in AOC rose wine worldwide (88% of AOC wines produced here are roses). Made from red grapes, Provence roses are crisp and elegant, pairing well with a variety of foods.
Imported Rose Sales Volumes Grow by 28%
The French export data is reinforced by retail sales data released by research firm Nielsen. U.S. retail sales of imported rose wines priced at or above $12 a bottle grew by 28% on volume and 23% on dollars in 2012. This is compared to 1.8% on volume and 4.8% on dollars for total U.S. retail table wine sales, giving premium imported roses a growth rate more than 15 times that of total table wine sales, on volume.
posted by Tiffany Haslacker
03/04/2013