Drink Pink: How Rosé Got So Popular
If you’ve found yourself drinking more rosé — or drinking it for the first time — these past two summers, you’re part of a national trend. “Folks on the coasts had heard it for a couple of years, but 2014 was where rosé really became like, it,” Devon Broglie, Whole Foods’ associate global beverage buyer, recently told Eater.
But how did the pretty pink wine get so popular, so suddenly? Eater took a look. Here are a few takeaways:
It was no accident: Having noticed the rosé trend fermenting in wine-forward areas like Southern California, buyers at national retail chains, who have a nose for such things, made a conscious decision to decant it to areas across the country.
The supply was there: When a trend hits its sweet spot, sometimes it’s hard to produce enough to meet demand, but Ryan Looper, a sales rep for the wine distributor T. Edward Wines, told Eater that importers and distributors have been able bring in “more rosé to supply, or feed, the trend.” Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Miraval label alone ramped up production of its rosé — from 200,000 bottles in 2012 to 500,000 more recently.
Comfort is key: Shoppers may find it easy to choose a rosé and have a clear idea, in advance, of what it’s going to taste like — with less worry about varietals and vintages than with reds or whites. “All they have to say or look for is ‘rosé’ — and that is easily identified for all parties," Looper told Eater.
The price is pretty nice, too: Maturing takes less time than maturing many other wines, so rosé costs less to produce, allowing it to be sold — reliably — at an affordable price point. In 2014, the average U.S. price of a bottle of premium rosé was $16.83, according to Decanter.com.
And it’s ever so drinkable: Dry yet approachably fruity, the current crop of rosés are not the sweet stuff your parents think of when they hear “rosé.” Jeff Kellogg, wine director at the New York restaurant Maialino, contends that rosé’s former uncoolness contributes to its current appeal for young wine drinkers. “There is a certain trendiness with the fact that, in the recent past, their parents would not have been caught dead drinking pink wine,” he told Eater. “There is a slightly hip, 'I'm in the know' feeling to ordering rosé.”
Then again, if everyone’s in on the rosé trend, can it really be considered a secret?
Oh, and by the way, rosé is great for mixing. Here are a few ideas:
