Rosé outpaces overall wine category as consumers ‘drink pink’ for summer: Nielsen

20-Jun-2017 - Last updated on 27-Oct-2017 at 20:06 GMT

Nielsen projects the consumer popularity of rosé will continue past summer as retailers continue to promote the beverage in stores. ©iStock/Ekaterina Molchanova

Rosé has shown strong growth over the past year and is outpacing overall US wine growth, a trend which will ramp up during the summer months thanks to the pink drink’s light and versatile appeal, says Nielsen.

The rosé wine category is valued at $207m and has grown by 53% in volume sales over the last 52 weeks, outpacing the overall category which is growing at 4%, Nielsen data showed.

Rosé wines are preferred more during the summer by 20% of regular wine drinkers, and by nearly 40% of females between 21 and 34 years old.

Additionally, Nielsen predicted that the buzz of rosé will likely extend beyond summer and into the rest of the year based on its sales performance over the past year.

“While rosé only represents 1.5% of the total table wine category, it is growing at a rate unheard of in other categories,” Nielsen said in a press release.

Sparkling rosé is also having its moment with $139m in annual sales and growing at 19%, more than double the total sparkling wine category's 9% dollar growth.

Retailers and social media think pink

“Retailers are solidly behind the rosé trend, often now with very distinct pink sections of just rosé,” Danny Brager, SVP beverage alcohol at Nielsen, told BeverageDaily.

Retailers are using rosé-specific signage and displays, and building dedicated pink-hued sections for their rosé products.

The popularity also lends itself well to social media promotion with hashtag phrases like “Rosé All Day" or “Yes Way, Rosé” created specifically for the beverage, Brager added.

Rosewinesection — Rosé wine section in Whole Foods. Pic: Whole Foods

Whole Foods recently promoted National Rosé Day on its Instagram account to take advantage of rising consumer interest in rosé.

“Social media marketing is a big player, especially when working to connect with the large millennial population that have grown up with social media,” he said.

Baby boomers make more impulse purchases

While the rosé craze has tended to resonate with millennials who represent the bulk of the consumer base, baby boomers should not be overlooked.

An October Nielsen survey revealed that 18% of baby boomers who bought alcoholic drinks in the past 30 days did so out of impulse, compared to 11% of millennials, signalling the importance of in-store retail promotions.

“This leaves room for the older generations to make a huge impact on the summer trends, but only time will tell who is having the biggest impact on these trends,” Brager said.