Sparkling and rosé set pace

Sparkling and rosé wines will be setting the pace of growth in the on-trade in the coming year as suppliers attempt to replicate successful trends from the supermarkets.

At the London International Wine & Spirits Fair last month, the biggest noise was around rosé wines, with a raft of new lines coming on to the market.

For pubs, a key trend distributors hope will catch on this summer is serving rosé over ice. Along with a plethora of pink wines from the main suppliers, Orbital Wines is rolling out Couture, from South Africa's Stormhoek, developed specifically to go with ice because, it says, the taste does not get diluted.

Stormhoek Vineyards CEO Jason Korman said: "We wanted to offer a product that does not dilute when served with ice: Couture's wine style has slightly higher acidity, riper fruit and is slightly sweeter.

"It can be served on ice and even as a mixer. We see it as part of a trend where rosé can be consumed like a cocktail, making it an even more sophisticated drink."

Suppliers plan to exploit the rising popularity of sparkling wines, which are experiencing

an impressive off-trade surge.

Pernod Ricard said it wanted

to encourage licensees to offer sparklers by the glass and was talking to buyers about trialling a dispense system that cuts wastage.

Pernod Ricard UK head of marketing for wines Patrick Venning said: "Sparkling wine hasn't really been exploited, but it is a consumer trend.

"Retailers are worried about wastage and we need to prove the profit potential. We know sparkling wine works well in the off-trade and we need to meet consumers' on-trade expectations.

"Not everyone wants to buy a £6 glass of fizz, but our single-serve bottles mean consumers pay less than £3."