Wine Focus: Under the spell of pink power

Rosé, rosé, rosé. Its been trumpeted as a rapid growth area for a couple of years now. It's the everyman drink. It's the drink of the summer. It goes well with food. It's suitable for any occasion. But now that it's no longer the new kid on the block, surely consumers are getting bored of it? Seemingly not.Sales of rosé are still increasing and have now eaten into those of red and white to claim 10 per cent of wine sales in the UK (according to Nielsen ) - a six per cent rise from last year. UK sales of rosé are up 36.8 per cent in the on-trade year-on-year.

The big brands are continuing to experience massive growth too. Sales of Jacob's Creek Shiraz Rosé are up 20.7 per cent from last year and Sartori Pinot Grigio Blush sales are up by 64 per cent. 1. So why is growth speeding up?

"One reason for this growth is the obvious link with food," says Jon Luke, on-trade channel director for Percy Fox. "This is an increasingly important part of the licensee's repertoire and rosé wines are extremely food-friendly."

Could the smoking ban have spurred the rosé market? There is no doubt that the need to have a quality food offer to shore up trade in the wake of the ban has provided an environment where more people are choosing drinks to complement their food. Rosé seems to be a popular choice.

"I think there's a big opportunity for rosé to be drunk with the type of food that the UK is increasingly eating," says Robin Knapp, wine director of Matthew Clark.

"We're moving towards fresh fish, lighter foods and finger foods and I think rosé fits in very well with that. It's a kind of picnic wine really.

"It's an easy choice. 'Do we want red or white? Actually, let's have a rosé.' If you have a table of six people and want a wine that is going to please everybody then a bottle or rosé is going to be a good choice."

Adrian Atkinson, wine development director at Pernod Ricard UK, says there is plenty of scope for licensees to increase sales through matching wines with the food menu.

"Rosé wines are well suited to salads, fish and white meat as well as red berries," he adds.

Good value wines have also kept the market strong. The strength of the pound in producer countries such as Australia and the US has meant reasonably priced rosé wines for UK consumers.#This, says Knapp, has kept the consumers interest in the drink and prompted sales. With a glass or bottle of rosé costing only slightly more than house wines, there is a definite opportunity to upsell.

2. New trends

As the market for rosé grows, so too does the demand for different varieties. Sweet and easy-to- drink wines helped kick-start sales when the boom began. Although these types of wines, like Blossom Hill, remain big favourites, sales of dry and sparkling rosés are gaining momentum.

"Rosé drinkers are getting more sophisticated. I think it's the market maturing," says master of wine Jonathan Pedley.

"It's nice to have in a more serious dry rosé for those with a more sophisticated palette or who want to match it with food. And if it's pink and got bubbles in it, you get impressive sales."

The growth in champagne sales in recent years has led to a growth in cheaper sparkling alternatives. Fizzy pinks from the South of France do particularly well in the on-trade, says Pedley.

Brands such as Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rosé and Gran Campo Viejo Cava Rosé are also experiencing rapid sales growth. But despite its popularity, some licensees are missing out on sales.

"Every pub shifting a decent amount of wine should have some pink fizz on their wine list. They're missing a trick if they don't. They should have one, if not two," says Pedley.

As for dry rosé wines, licensees should look out for varieties from Italy, France, Spain, Chile and Argentina. Adding at least one dry variety to the wine list can help to really cash in on the growing food market by providing an add-on.

3. How can you grow sales?

In a word, marketing. It may sound simple, but merely adding a short description of the wine and a recommendation of what foods it goes well with to the wine list or chalk board can really drive sales. It's likely many customers won't know much about the wine unless you tell them.

And it's a good idea to show the customer too, says Knapp.

"Visuals are important," he explains. "An untapped area with this product is display and merchandising.

"Visually, rosé has a big impact. Particularly in the summer months when it's sold in a big chilled bucket. People will see it and go for it."

Atkinson agrees. "Retailers should give rosé wine good visibility by blocking all wines of this colour together in a high visibility location," he advises.

Making rosé a more prominent feature of the back-bar is a good idea. However, new wine preservation systems and draught wines mean they can be prominent on the front bar too.

These devices will also give licensees greater scope to sell by the glass - a great way of prompting sales of bottles. Once a customer has tried a wine, they are more likely to go back to it.

Jon Luke from Percy Fox says the recently launched draught wine system Blossom Hill Perfect Glass has proved massively popular.

"Thus far we have seen some terrific results in terms of growing the wine category in pubs and this helps to underline the importance of rose for this sector," he says.

If sales by the glass offer the chance for customers to experiment with different wines then it makes sense to offer a good variety to choose from.

"It's vital to make sure you include a good range of rosé wines rather than just a token offering. Including a number of rosés will encourage people to experiment with different styles, countries of origin and ultimately price points," says Peter Spencer, senior vice-president of UK sales at Constellation Europe.

He also recommends experimenting with how pubs offer rosés.

"Consumers are more likely to experiment with rosé so offer it to them as a long spritz style drink. You can make more money from this," says Spencer.

So, when it comes to selling rosé, the time has come to be brave. Be bold with marketing and offer an extensive choice, be that by adding dry and sparkling varieties, different ways of drinking it, or stocking wines from different countries.

The demand is definitely there.