OIV Focus 2015
The rosé wine market

Content
This focus on rosé wines was conducted by the International Organisation of Vine
and Wine (OIV) and by the Provence Wine Council (CIVP).
It analyses global trends with regard to rosé wine production, consumption and tradeflows since 2002.

1

OIV Focus 2015
The rosé wine market
SummaryThis focus on rosé wines was conducted by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine
(OIV) and by the Provence Wine Council (CIVP). It is based primarily on the work of the
Observatoire économique des marchés internationaux des vins rosés (Economic
Observatory for International Rosé Wine Markets) funded by the CIVP and FranceAgriMer.
This report analyses global trends with regard to rosé wine production, consumption andtrade flows since 2002.
Economic information for rosé wines is relatively difficult to obtain or to reconstruct. Thesewines suffer from the lack of a unique, shared definition. This means that rosé and red wines
are often mixed together in economic data. Information needs to be collected at the most
local level and different sources need to be cross-checked in order to carry out reliable
estimates of data on rosé wines.
The analysis of data on rosé wines has made it possible to estimate global production in2014 at 24.3 million hectolitres (mhl), which represents 9.6% of global wine production
excluding sparkling wines1. Rosé wine production has risen in recent years, boosted by anincrease in consumption. Four countries account for 80% of production: France (7.6 mhl in2014), Spain (5.5 mhl), the United States (3.5 mhl) and Italy (2.5 mhl).
World rosé wine consumption reached 22.7 mhl in 2014, which is an increase of 20% since
2002. France and the United States are the main consumers of rosé wines, with 8.1 and 3.2
mhl consumed respectively in 2014. Only a few countries saw their rosé wine consumption
drop, and these are countries with historically high levels of wine consumption, particularly
with regard to rosé wine: Italy, Spain and Portugal. Rosé consumption is becoming
globalised and a number of new regions have also begun to consume it, especially inNorthern Europe – including the United Kingdom (+250% since 2002) and Sweden(+750%) – as well as Canada (+120%) and Hong Kong (+250%). France recorded thebiggest increase in recent years: + 2.5 mhl between 2002 and 2014. Rosé wines currently
represent 30% of total still wine consumption, in contrast with 16% in 2002.
Since 2002, global rosé wine exports (9.8 mhl in 2014) have seen sustained growth,
stimulated by high demand from major consumer countries, including non-producer
countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium. This market is now
trading at the same level as the wine market as a whole. This increase in consumption isdriven by young age groups.

1

The provisional OIV total for production in 2014 is 270.2 mhl, of which 17.6 mhl corresponds to sparklingwines and 252.6 mhl to still wines.

2Summary ................................................................................................................................ 2I.

Introduction..................................................................................................................... 4

II.

Methodologies ............................................................................................................. 5III.

The rosé wine market .................................................................................................. 7

Production ............................................................................................................................. 7
Consumption ........................................................................................................................ 10
Trade .................................................................................................................................... 14
IV.

Sources – Bibliography ............................................................................................. 17

Abbreviations :khl: thousands of hectolitres
mhl: millions of hectolitres

3

I.

Introduction
The production and consumption of rosé wines saw an increase of 16% and 20%
respectively over the last ten years. In 2014, rosé wines held 10% of the still wine market
share.
Although countries in the European Union (EU) are still the leaders in this market segment,rosé wine consumption and production is increasing throughout the rest of the world.
Furthermore, international trade has grown. The purpose of this report is to provide an
overview of the still rosé wine segment and its place in the vitivinicultural sector.

What is arosé wine?

There is no specific definition for rosé wine. The Combined Nomenclature (CN)2 andEuropean regulations on the wine sector only differentiate a white wine from a non-whitewine.
This differentiation does not exist on a global level. For example, the OIV, which defines
wine as a beverage resulting from the partial or complete alcoholic fermentation of fresh
grapes, whether crushed or not, or of grape must, does not have specific analytical standards
that distinguish wines according to their colour.
Despite the fact that a precise definition of rosé wine does not exist, there are, however,specific production methods. Rosé wines are divided into four types, depending on theoenological practice used:
1. Rosé from direct pressing or very short maceration periods (<2h): This techniqueconsists of the direct pressing of whole or destemmed grapes immediately after harvesting
and a relatively short skin maceration period until the desired clear, pink shade is obtained.
The juice, separated from the skins, is then placed in the vat where the fermentation process
begins.
2. Rosé from skin maceration for a duration of >2h: This type of rosé is normally produced
from black grapes that are placed directly in the vat and undergo a relatively longmaceration period before alcoholic fermentation, in order to release the components of theskin and pulp to obtain a fairly deep pink shade. The juice, separated from the skins with orwithout pressing, is then placed in the vat where the fermentation process begins.
3. Saignée method rosé: This type of rosé is normally produced from black grapes that areplaced directly in the vat and undergo a relatively long maceration period before alcoholic
fermentation, in order to release the components of the skin and pulp until the desired pinkshade is obtained. Some of the juice is separated and transferred to another vat for the
production of rosé wine while the rest of the harvest continues maceration and fermentation
to produce red wine.
4. Blending of musts or white and red wines: This practice is subject to different
regulations depending on the country. Within the EU3, this practice is not permitted forwines without a Geographic Indication, is controlled (or not) under the specifications forwines with Geographical Indications and is authorised for sparkling wine production;
however, it is more commonly used in the rest of the world. In addition, white wines may beenriched with coloured concentrated musts to obtain a rosé wine. The oenological practice2

The Combined Nomenclature (CN), a European Union eight-figure code, is comprised of six figurescorresponding to the Harmonised System (HS) and an additional two figures that enable white wines to be
identified.
3
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 606/2009 laying down certain detailed rules for implementing Council
Regulation (EC) No. 479/2008

4that defines enrichment with musts and concentrated musts does not indicate that it isobligatory to use a concentrated must of a similar colour to that of the must undergoingenrichment.

II.

Methodologies
For the majority of products, economic information does not exist as an end in itself and isrelatively difficult to obtain or to reconstruct. For rosé wines, which suffer from a lack of a
specific definition, economic data is even harder to obtain.
Therefore, consumption data, often compiled for marketing purposes, is the most accurate
information available and makes it possible to reconstruct harvest assessments andproduction data.
Indeed, rosé and red wines are not always separated in economic data derived from reporting
obligations4. The distinction is very rarely made on an international level, and occasionallyon a national scale, but is made fairly frequently at the local level, where product production
specifications exist (Geographical Indications or brands).
Compiling information at the most local level and cross-checking different sources
therefore makes it possible to make reasoned estimates with regard to the rosé wine market.
Different methods were used to prepare the information published in this report5:
To evaluate consumption, the following was used: distributor or consumer panels, datafrom distribution monopolies for countries for which it is available (e.g. Sweden, Canada,
Norway, etc.) and consumer surveys.
The following were used to evaluate production data:
Official sources
Fiscal, customs or national statistics rarely provide data on rosé wines. At the local level,organisations (inter-professional, regional or national) often make the distinction between
rosés and reds for harvests (mainly in the case of Geographical Indications). This
information is easily recovered for some countries such as France (for PDOs), Brazil orSouth Africa.
Commercial data
For certain wines or in certain geographical regions, rosés are not distinguished from otherwines at the time of production, yet commercial follow-up data often exists. In such cases,
estimates are made based on transactions that most often occur in bulk on the markets within
which production takes place. These sources, supplemented by additional data on stock
variation, or qualitative sources regarding production levels, make it possible to assess the
production levels.
4

In European regulations, rosé wine is sometimes assimilated with red wine (harvest, vineyard register andstock declarations) and also, at times, with white wine (control of volatile acidity, sulphur dioxide, etc.).
5
Wassily Leontief's idea of the input-output matrix was used in order to complete and validate all of thedata. This method consists in estimating the data for several countries, for which information is not readily
available, using the average for all of the countries for which information is known.

5Consumption data used to reconstruct production data
Rosé production data, for countries that do not make a distinction between reds and rosés intheir harvest data, has sometimes had to be reconstructed from consumption data.
We have used Germany by way of example to explain the methodology adopted. The IRI6
distributor panel makes it possible to track mass-distribution and hard-discount purchases inGermany. Due to the dominance of this distribution network in German wine consumption,
it is possible to use the percentage of rosé sold through these channels in Germany (10.1% in2014) to reconstruct overall rosé consumption in the country. The ability to identify theorigins of the rosés sold in most destinations therefore makes it possible, as for the previous
case, to assess German rosé wine production levels.
It should be noted that the work carried out previously on sparkling wines, as well as theaccuracy of the data from consumer or distributor panels, has allowed us to focus this workon still rosé wines.
To evaluate the data on trade:
In the majority of cases, countries do not have customs data available for rosé wine. The
data linked to imports and exports was reconstructed thanks to consumption monitoring
tools.
The breakdown by colour of the still wines bought in a consumer country originating from a
producer country was applied to all volumes exported from the latter country to the former
destination, and adjustments were sometimes made according to qualitative commercial
information. This method was applied for all countries for which information is available,
and for all of the main exporting countries, thus enabling us to evaluate the global rosé wine
market.

6

IRI: Information Resources, Inc.

6

III.

The rosé wine market

Production
World rosé wine production in 2014 (excluding sparkling wines) is estimated at over 24mhl, a 10% increase compared with the year 2013.
Rosé wine production has risen in recent years, driven by an increase in consumption.
The production of rosé wines has seen an increase of around 16% since 2002. The rosé wine
share of total wine production has remained fairly stable since 2002, fluctuating between 8%
and 10% of still wine production.

Trends in world rosé wine production

mhl

35
30
25
20

23.9
20.9

21.7

2002

2003

22.2

23.9

24.3

2006

2007

24.0

23.9

24.0

2008

2009

2010

24.2

22.7

22.7

22.0

2011

2012

2013

15
10
2004

2005

2014

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

The main rosé wine producers
as a % of world rosé wine production
2002

2014

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
FranceUnited States

South Africa

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

7

Portugal

Other countries

Therefore, in absolute terms, the trends in rosé wine production in the main producer
countries were as follows:
Trends in rosé wine production for the four biggest producers
khl

Spain

khl

France

9 000

9 000

7 500

7 500

6 000

6 000

4 500

4 500

3 000

3 000

1 500

1 500
-

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

United States

khl

2002

2014

2004

2008

2010

2012

2014

2010

2012

2014

Italy

khl

9 000

9 000

7 500

7 500

6 000

6 000

4 500

4 500

3 000

3 000

1 500

1 500

-

2006

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2002

2004

2006

2008

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Three-quarters of rosé wine production comes from four countries. France, with 7.6 mhl in
2014, remains the world leader in rosé wine production. French production accounts fornearly 30% of rosé wine produced globally. Between 2002 and 2014, rosé wine production
in France grew by nearly 50%.
Spain is the second biggest producer, with over 5.5 mhl in 2014, which corresponds to afifth of rosé wines produced worldwide. This country's production is primarily destined forexport, whereas the opposite is true in France, where production does not fully meetdomestic demand.
The United States reached 3.5 mhl, putting it in third place globally, following a resurgencein the last few years.
Italy recorded production of around 2.5 mhl in 2014, keeping it at the same level as in 2013,
following a significant decline since 2010.
Although production of this type of wine is still concentrated in Europe, new rosé wine
producer countries are of growing importance in this segment. South Africa, Chile and8Australia have seen their production increase progressively since the start of the 2000s(+200% in South Africa, +400% in Chile and +450% in Australia).
Although the size of the volumes in absolute terms is the primary indicator with which to
examine the rosé wine market, the relative weight of these wines against total production is
also a significant indicator. This "intensity" varies from country to country. Indeed, it should
be noted that rosé wine production in Tunisia represents nearly 60% of the volume of its
total still wine production, compared to 35% in Uruguay.

9Consumption
Rosé wine consumption (22.7 mhl in 2014) has stabilised recently in terms of volume, inline with the overall consumption trend for all wines. Nevertheless, at 10.3%, it continues toincrease its share of still wine consumption.
Although total still wine consumption has remained generally stable in absolute terms since
20027, rosé wine consumption has increased 20% (since 2002), from 18.9 mhl to 22.7 mhl.

Trends in world rosé wine consumption
mhl

30
25
20
15

18.9

18.8

19.3

20.1

2002

2003

2004

2005

21.2

21.9

22.2

22.1

21.8

22.5

22.6

22.7

22.7

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

10

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

The main rosé wine consumers
as a % of world rosé wine consumption
2002

2014

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Therefore, in absolute terms, rosé wine consumption trends in the main consumer countries
were as follows:

7

Provisional OIV total for all wine consumption in 2014: 237 mhl, of which 17.5 mhl corresponds tosparkling wines and 219.5 mhl to still wines.

10Trends in rosé wine consumption for the six biggest producers
Francekhl

United States

khl

9000

9000

7500

7500

6000

6000

4500

4500

3000

3000

1500

1500

0

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

Germany

khl

0

2014

2002

2004

9000

7500

7500

6000

6000

4500

4500

3000

3000

2008

2010

2012

2014

2010

2012

2014

2010

2012

2014

United Kingdom

khl

9000

2006

1500

1500

0

0
2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

Italy

khl

2002

2014

2004

2008

Spain

khl

9000

9000

7500

7500

6000

6000

4500

4500

3000

3000

1500

2006

1500

0
2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

0
2002

2004

2006

2008

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Global rosé wine consumption has been driven in particular by the growth in rosé
consumption in France, but also by the emergence of new consumer countries.
France and the United States are the main rosé wine consumers: with 8.1 and 3.2 mhl
consumed respectively in 2014; they account for nearly half of the volumes of rosé wines
consumed in the world. Consumption of rosé wines in France has significantly increased
since 2002 (+43%). Rosé wines' share of still wine consumption in France rose from 16% in2002 to more than 30% in 2014. Conversely, the other primary rosé wine consumers haverecorded stagnant consumption (Germany) or even declining consumption (particularly
Spain, Italy and Portugal) in recent years.
In the rest of the world, countries are starting to consume more and more rosé wines andthere have been significant increases – which has been the case for most regions – especiallyin Northern Europe, including the United Kingdom (+250% since 2002) and Sweden(+750%), as well as in Canada (+120%) and Hong Kong (+250%).
11

Changes in "intensity" are an additional indicator: indeed, the market share of rosé wines
may grow faster than its volume (this is the case in France, as red wine consumption is
declining), or else remain stable or decrease because red and white wine consumption is
growing more quickly (as in Germany or the United States, for example).
It should be noted that, in Tunisia and Uruguay, rosé wines account for approximately halfof still wine consumption.

Who are theconsumers ofrosé wine?

Another way to examine rosé wine consumption is to carry out consumer surveys that are
representative of a country's population (according to age, gender, geography, etc.). Thisdata is based on self-reporting and may contain biases. However, this method makes it
possible to provide an indicator for countries without further information, or provides anadditional source to a panel on a country. Furthermore, this data offers the possibility ofanalysing the populations in question, and is comparable over time.
Rosé wines' share of "self-reported" total still wine consumption was measured as having
increased since 2007 in many countries8. Consumers have indeed reported that they are
increasingly favouring rosé wines in their wine consumption.

8

CIVP-WINE INTELLIGENCE, Vinitrac®, 201412

Rosé wine share of total still wine consumption
by age% of rosé wine consumed as reported by still wine consumers
Brazil*35%

France30%

United Kingdom
Canada25%

Belgium
Sweden20%

United States
Netherlands

15%

Russia*China*

10%

Japan
5%

New ZealandGermany0%
LDA-24 yrs

25-34 yrs

35-44 yrs

45-54 yrs

55-64 yrs

65 yrs +Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Australia
FinlandWine Intelligence, CIVP Survey, Vinitrac® 2014, n>700 conso. de vin tranquille sur tous les marchés* : for the surveyed population. Base=All wine consump.

This growth has primarily been driven by the youngest population segment of legal drinking
age, for which self-reported rosé wine consumption was highest in terms of "intensity"(volume per resident of legal drinking age). Rosé wines' share of total still wine
consumption is on average 10% higher in this age group. This phenomenon can be seen in
the majority of countries included in the study (Germany, Australia, Belgium, Canada, theUnited States, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden,
Russia, Brazil and China). In France, this phenomenon exists, but is less marked, and roséwine consumption is more transgenerational.
In most countries, women report that they consume more rosé wine (in proportion to their
total still wine consumption) than men. In Germany and in the Netherlands, the difference
has reached 6%.
However, some countries are exceptions to this trend. In the United States, Russia and even
Australia, men report that they consume the same proportion of rosé wine as women. In
Brazil, the proportion of rosé wine consumed is actually higher for men than for women – by4%.

13

Rosé wine share of total still wine consumption by gender% of rosé wine consumed as reported by still wine consumers
Men

30%

Women
27%

25%

20%

25%
23%

23%
19%
17%

15%

19%
16%

19%

18%

19%
17%
17%
13%

15%
12%

12%

14%
13%

13%
11%

10%

13%

13%
11%
8%
7%

11%
11%

8%
6%

5%

0%

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015
Wine Intelligence, CIVP Survey, Vinitrac® 2014, n>700 conso. de vin tranquille sur tous les marchés* : for the surveyed population. Base=All wine consump.

When is rosé
drunk?

Rosé consumption is often seasonal: in France, 35% of rosé is sold through large retail
outlets in summer, compared with 15% in winter9. The weather may influence consumption
in the short term: temperature, amount of sunshine, etc. Rosé wine thus falls under "weathersensitive" consumption.
Although rosé's seasonality is marked in France, it is less so in the United Kingdom, forexample. In the UK, we can see in particular that that rosé's pink hue – the colour of love –has led to a consumption spike for rosé wines for Valentine's Day, around 14 February10.
Trade

Exports

Since 2002, global still rosé wine exports have risen, stimulated by high demand frommajor consumer countries, especially non-producer countries such as the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands and Belgium. The volumes of rosé wines traded have grown by 2.7 mhl
since 2002 to reach 9.8 mhl in 2014 (+37%).

9

CIVP, based on the IRI (Information Resources, Inc.) distributor panel
Idem.

10

14

Rosé wine exports

mhl

12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4

9,1

9,1
8,5
7,2

7,2

8,5

8,7

8,6

9,8

9,1
8,5

8,5

7,4

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

The main exporter countries of rosé wines are Spain with 46.3% in terms of volume,
followed by Italy, the United States and France with comparable volumes (between 1.1
and 1.5 mhl exported in 2014). These four countries export, in terms of volume, more than
80% of rosé wines in the world.
The market shares of the biggest exporters have increased over the past ten years, with theUnited States and South Africa in particular occupying an increasingly significant place inglobal trade.

The main rosé wine exporters
as a % of the total volume of rosé wine exported worldwide
2002

2014

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Source: Various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Imports

World still rosé wine imports in 2014 were evaluated at 9.6 mhl, an increase of 1.2 mhl
compared with 2013.

15

The four leading global importers account for 65% of total rosé wine imports; afterFrance with 28%, the United Kingdom and Germany each import 15% of the total and theUnited States 8%.
More than 80% of world rosé wine imports are into non-producer European countries,
except for France. France is indeed a big producer and exporter, but is also the number-one
importer.
Switzerland has imported stable volumes of rosé wines for ten years and is the only
significant market where imports have not risen.

Trade flows in terms of volume in 2014
Data for the top four exporters/producers and the four biggest
importers/consumers

Source: various sources, preparation by OIV-CIVP, 2015

Trade flows for rosé wines are either in large volumes at low prices, often in bulk
(particularly from Spain and South Africa and destined for France, for use in wine-based
aperitifs in particular), or consist of upscale products (particularly from France and destinedfor the United States and the United Kingdom).
Part of the low-end "value product" trade varies greatly from one year to the next in terms oforigin. The breakdown of these wines by colour into rosé wine, on the one hand, and whitewine that may subsequently be coloured (especially for the production of wine-based
aperitifs), on the other hand, also varies.

16

IV.

Sources – Bibliography
The data published in this report is provided by the Rosé Wine Economic Observatory forthe global industry in Provence and the questionnaires submitted to OIV Member States
have been added to the database of the Observatoire économique des marchésinternationaux des vins rosés.
OIV Focus: The sparkling wine market, 2014
Commission Regulation (EC) No. 606/2009 laying down certain detailed rules for
implementing Council Regulation (EC) No. 479/2008

CIVP - WINE INTELLIGENCE, Vinitrac® (2014). n>700 consommation de vin tranquille
sur tous les marchésInternational Organisation of Vine and Wine
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine is an intergovernmental organisation of ascientific and technical nature, of recognised competence for its works concerning vines,
wine and wine-based beverages, table grapes, dried grapes and other vine-based products.
The OIV has 46 Member Countries around the world.
Rosé Wine Economic Observatory in Provence
Created by the Provence Wine Council as part of its economy department, the Rosé Wine
Economic Observatory offers an overview of the economy of the rosé market: analysis of
figures on rosé wine production, consumption and world trade; typology of products;
typology of consumers; distribution channel analysis; pricing analysis; packaging analysis;
etc. This Observatory was established in Provence, the leading region for PDO-quality rosésin the world, where rosé wine is a speciality and constitutes more than 80% of production.
The Observatory draws, in part, on the work of the Observatoire économique des marchésinternationaux des vins rosés. This study is led and co-financed by the CIVP andFranceAgriMer; Agrex Consulting acted as service provider between 2010-2013 andAbsoConseil has fulfilled that role since 2014. The study collects and analyses data on roséwine across 42 countries, particularly through panels, customs statistics and studies cofinanced by the CNIV (National Committee of Inter-Professional Wine Organisations) andFrance AgriMer.
The professionals in Provence therefore have legitimate standing to operate such an
Observatory. In addition to internal strategic uses, it contributes to the sharing of knowledge,
which includes this OIV-CIVP focus on rosé wines.

For more information, contact Barbara IASIELLO at stats@oiv.int

17