Pubs in the pink

Rosé has shed its poor image to become one of wine's success stories over recent years, outperforming even cider in the on-trade. Nigel Huddleston reports

The UK is drinking pink in a big way. After decades as the poor relation to the proper wine colours of red and white, rosé wine is rewriting the records on the UK's wider wine-drinking boom. Rosé used to mean pallid, flimsy, confected wines, but a new-found passion for pink among winemakers coupled with the ever-more sophisticated demands of the market has seen pink wines with flavour, aroma and character emerge from all over the world.

A 2007 report by Euromonitor claimed that overall consumption of rosé in the UK market increased by 227% between 2001 and 2006. AC Nielsen figures show that on-trade sales were up by a third in 2007 alone, growth that most other categories - including cider - can't match. Sales of rosé from the US still lead the market, with 47% of all rosé drunk in the on-trade coming from California.

The market has been boosted by investment programmes from wine regions like Provence and brand initiatives like Gallo's Rosé on the Rocks which comes with the sort of promotional kit usually reserved for big spirits brands, included branded glasses, swizzle sticks and back-bar material.

Helen Moore, on-trade national account manager for Gallo Family Vineyards, thinks rosé "began to be taken seriously as the UK began embracing a more Continental way of life", influenced by increased foreign travel.

Re-inventing the category

She adds: "The move away from the rosés of our parents meant that younger wine drinkers could re-invent the category for themselves. There was also the trend away from alcopops, which left 18 to 30-year-old women looking for an alternative. Rosé fitted the bill with its lower alcohol levels, sweet taste profile and fun image."

Gary Greenwood, managing director for South African wine specialist Distell Europe, agrees that sweeter styles have helped to attract younger consumers, but adds that "there has also been a dramatic improvement in quality".

He says: "It's mostly women [drinking rosé] but you do see more guys now with a glass of rosé than ever before. Couples can now share a bottle rather than the stereotype of a glass of white for a woman and a glass of red for the man. They can meet in the middle."

Alexander Meaney, wine development manager at Harvey Miller Wine & Spirit Agencies (HMWSA), thinks warmer summers have helped spark interest, and some of the growth was at least trade generated, he believes.

"Many members of the UK wine trade and producers saw an opportunity for a growth category when they could see expansion in reds and whites beginning to plateau."

With rosé now an established category in its own right, pubs need to review the way they approach it. The days when it made just a token appearance on the wine list are over, but what is the best way to develop a range?

Lynn Murray, marketing director at Hatch Mansfield, suggests: "A mainstream Californian style with high residual sugar and wide appeal; a New World style from, say, Chile or Australia, which will be more robust and full flavoured, such as Villa Maria Private Bin Rosé or Errazuriz; and a traditional French style, which tends to be more elegant, with lower alcohol levels than the New World."

Expanding your rosé list

Meaney at HMWSA suggests a list of four to five, including a "light and spritzy Portuguese rosé" such as his company's Lancers, and pinks from India and Alsace as "leftfield"

selections.

Of course, every importer is going to suggest their own brands, but the principle is sound, that one rosé probably isn't enough any more. And neither is thinking of rosé as purely a summer drink or an aperitif wine. Food is key to the marketing campaign for Provence, the French region that has seen its wines swing into fashion after years in the fringes.

"Pink is a trendy colour in all sorts of areas like fashion and design," says Nathalie Chassard, marketing director for the region's wines. "We want to capitalise on the fact that UK consumer's palates are becoming more sophisticated and they are drinking drier styles of rosé. It can be drunk with any sort of meal. We're carrying out work on food matching with typical English dishes, giving them a slightly Mediterranean feel and exploring the right Provence wines to go with them."

Moore at Gallo agrees that pubs need to emphasise rosé's versatility to make the most of the profit opportunity.

"There is the undeniable appeal of sharing a bottle with friends at the beginning of a great night out," she says, "while the lower alcohol and light style makes it perfect for enjoying with lunch or straight after work."

If pubs can tap into these different occasions they could be facing a rosy future.

Tips to build your rosé styles

l Offer a variety of rosé wines as you do with red or white, with a selection of styles, price points and brands, and a minimum of three on your list

l Serve rosé at the correct temperature

l Ensure it is visible to encourage impulse purchase

l Include selections on the blackboard, tent cards on tables and food-matching suggestions on the menu

l Make sure you have an offering by the glass - if you're worried about stock-holding, then try having more than one only in the summer

Compiled from the suggestions of Distell Europe and Hatch Mansfield