During spring and summer, wine preferences tend to shift a bit rosier — towards rosé, that is. As new vintage releases hit the market and consumers look for light and refreshing wine options, rosé becomes a strong sales driver — and its rise in popularity is During spring and summer, wine preferences tend to shift a bit rosier — toward rosé, that is. As new vintage releases hit the market and consumers look for light and refreshing wine options, rosé becomes a strong sales driver, and its rise in popularity is poised to continue. In 2022, expect trends like sparkling wines and premiumization to shape the rosé consumption landscape.

Evolution in the Rosé Category

“Rosé remains an important wine sales driver, particularly during warm-weather months,” says Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights. “Share growth for sparkling rosé was particularly strong during the past year, benefiting from the overall surge in Champagne and sparkling wine sales that we saw in 2021.”  

Still and sparkling rosé accounted for 9.3 percent combined share of the overall wine category on Drizly during the last 12 months, with still wine sales comprising the majority of rosé share. While both rosé categories gained share year-over-year, sparkling rosé’s growth rate made an especially impressive showing at 47 percent. 

According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, sparkling rosé wine volume in the U.S. increased by 118 percent from 2015 to 2020 — a huge margin over the still wine category overall, which has only grown 1.5 percent over the same time period. The velocity of rosé growth, therefore, offers retailers a significant opportunity for expansion. 

However, rosé sales tend to be seasonal: In Q1 of 2021, according to NielsenIQ data, dollar sales totaled $144 million, while Q2 sales jumped to $216 million. 

Recently, premiumization has taken hold in the rosé category. The average per-unit price for sparkling rosé sold on Drizly increased from $22.60 in 2020 to $27.30 in 2021. Likewise, the average unit price for still rosé grew from $16.10 to $17.10. “Consumers are spending more per bottle, particularly in the sparkling category,” says Paquette. “As consumers trade up, retailers can drive higher margin sales by stocking more premium offerings.”

French Rosés Reign Supreme

Though rosé wines are produced around the world, pink bottles from France — especially Provence and elsewhere in southern France — continue to dominate sales, holding 63 percent of rosé share on Drizly.

This is a share increase of five percentage points year-over-year, despite more offerings from emerging markets and growing consumer awareness of other rosé wines. Seventy percent of the top-selling rosé brands on Drizly are French, a trend that has held steady since 2019.

Drizly’s Best-Selling Rosé Brands, Last 12 Months 

1. Chateau d’Esclans
2. Veuve Clicquot
3. Gérard Bertrand
4. Wolffer Estate
5. Bota Box
6. Miraval
7. La Vieille Ferme
8. Chandon
9. Luc Belaire
10. Josh Cellars

As in 2020, Chateau d’Esclans and Veuve Clicquot ranked in the top two positions, while Gérard Bertrand moved up to No. 3. Luc Belaire, a sparkling brand, joined the top 10 this year, replacing Dark Horse.

Drizly’s Best-Selling Rosé SKUs, Last 12 Months 

1. Whispering Angel Rosé
2. Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne
3. Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Rosé
4. The Palm by Whispering Angel Rosé
5. Summer in a Bottle Long Island Rosé
6. Bota Box Dry Rosé
7. Château Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé
8. La Vieille Ferme Rosé
9. Chandon Rosé Sparkling
10. La Marca Prosecco Rosé D.O.C

Whispering Angel Rosé held the No. 1 spot among top-selling SKUs for the second year running, while Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne moved up to the second position. Wines from American brands Dark Horse and Josh Cellars were unseated in 2021 by Italy’s La Marca Prosecco and The Palm by France’s Whispering Angel, indicating a consumer preference for imported rosé.  

Though Drizly’s fastest-growing rosé SKUs over the past year included many large, familiar brands such as Santa Margherita and La Marca, several lesser-known bottles — including Pigoudet Classic Rosé, Torre Oria Cava Brut Rosé, Duplin Scuppernong Blush, and Jade Moldova Sparkling Rosé — cracked the top 10. 

Outside of France, large brands with significant recognition among consumers drive the seasonal rosé spike across Drizly. American rosés produced by wineries in California and New York make up 30 percent of the platform’s 10 best-selling brands.  

Other rosé-producing countries such as Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand each hold one percent share. Italian rosé as a category has held steady at three percent share of rosé sales by country. 

Over the past year, alternative formats have lost a bit of ground in rosé sales; boxed wine share declined one percentage point and canned share remained flat. Bottled share gained a percentage point.

Who Is Drinking Rosé?

Rosé is a hot seller across generations, but it is particularly popular among younger consumers. “On Drizly, both millennials and Gen Z over-index on rosé sales relative to wine sales overall,” Paquette says. 

Regionally, rosé sales over-index in East Coast markets that see more dramatic seasonal changes, including New York City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Connecticut.

The Future of Rosé 

The growth of the rosé category shows no signs of slowing down, and continued product innovation means consumers will likely be seeking new styles of this wine as time goes on. “Rosé will continue to be a sales driver,” Paquette says, “within both the still and sparkling wine categories.”

According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, the category is forecasted to grow by almost 70 percent from 2020 to 2024. Retailers with a well-stocked variety of rosé options stand to capture this growth — especially ahead of the summertime bump in the wine category. 

“Though rosé wine consumption definitely picks up in the spring and summer,” says Brandy Rand, COO for the Americas for IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, “thanks to increased consumer interest in the category, it remains a year-round favorite.”