It took Australia a long time to come to the party, but pink bubbles are predicted to be the wine category to watch over the festive season.
Until recently, Australia trailed behind the rest of the world when it came to sales of Rosé Champagne and sparkling.
Tyson Stelzer noted in his The State of Play of Champagne in Australia 2018 report: “Even after steady rises over the past five years, Australia continues to lag far behind, consuming just one-third of the Champagne Rosé of other top markets, and ranking last besides Belgium among the top ten. For every 28 bottles of champagne popped in Australia, just one is pink.”
However, Andrew Stark, General Manager – Marketing & Category ANZP, Accolade Wines, has flagged pink fizz as one of his top tips for off-premise growth this Christmas.
“Sparkling Rosé is growing by 8.3% in value MAT which is well above the total wine category growth of 1.2%,” he said. “It is Premium Sparkling Rose [$15+] which is driving the growth +26% versus last year in value.”
[Source: IRI MarketEdge Australia Liquor Weighted MAT 29/9/19.]
Accolade has just released a new Grant Burge NV Pinot Noir Chardonnay Rosé priced at RRP $29.99 to tap into the increasing popularity of sparkling Rosé among Australian wine lovers.
It also produces Croser NV Rosé, Bay of Fires Cuvée Pinot Chardonnay Rosé, House of Arras Rosé and Yarra Burn Premium Cuvée Rosé.
Ally Watts Category Innovation Manager, Accolade Wines added: “Sparkling Rosé is the fusion of two emerging trends merging together – Rosé and Premium Sparkling Wine.
“This growth is coming from a small base but the move to more informal drinking occasions opens up the space for Sparkling Rosé as it is less celebratory/occasion driven than Champagne or top-shelf sparkling wine – it feels more casual.
“Consumers are also drinking more ‘pink’, whether that be in wine, gin, cider, cocktails etc. Almost all liquor categories have jumped on the pink bandwagon leveraging the refreshment, day-time trend that these drinks offer.”
Global sparkling rosé wine category boom
Tyson Stelzer is buoyant about the future of Champagne rosé wine category in Australia.
“Rosé shipments have shown solid growth since 2013, and jumped by more than 7% in 2018 to more than 300,000 bottles for the first time,” he said in his 2018 report.
“Nonetheless, rosé remains Australia’s most underperforming category, so watch this space for growth in the future – albeit moderated by price sensitivity.
“Champagne rosé is elegantly suited to Australia’s diverse cuisine and warm climate and deserves pride of place in every celebration.”
Stelzer noted in his 2018 report that Champagne’s rosé exports globally continue a strong growth trajectory, hitting a record 9.9% by volume and 11.8% by value in 2018.
Across all markets, one in 10 bottles of Champagne sold in 2018 was pink and the US set a new record in 2017, rising to more than one in six.
According to Drinks Business, while sales of Champagne decreased by 4.4% in the UK hospitality sector in the 12 months to August 2019, the total value of rosé Champagne sales actually increased by 0.5% in the UK on-trade.
“Champagne is seeing a moderation in its recent decline trends,” said CGA analyst Mark Newton.
“Rosé – which is traditionally seen as a more expensive option in the on-trade – is now actually showing a positive value uplift.”
According to Nielsen data for the 12 months ending May 2019, the sparkling rosé wine category saw an increase of 20% in sales.
“Both table and sparkling rosé wine have maintained double-digit growth and consistent dollar share gains for the past five years, with no signs of slowing down,” said Caitlyn Battaglia, a client manager for Nielsen’s Beverage Alcohol Practice Area.
New imported sparkling rosé on the block
Tapping into the rising appeal of sparkling rosé to Aussie consumers, Portuguese brand Mateus is expanding its portfolio and launching a Sparkling Brut Rosé in early 2020.
Erwin Magat, Senior Brand Manager, McWilliam’s Wines Group, said: “As the number one rosé brand between $8 and $12, Mateus is a proven performer within its price bracket in the off premise, highlighting consumers’ preference for the brand.
“With strong growth for Mateus (Mateus is growing at +5.3% vs YA) and the sparkling rosé category, we hope that Mateus Sparkling Brut Rosé will capitalise on its strong brand equity, proven performance and the high growth opportunities that the sparkling wine category currently offers.
“We’ve found the interest in the category and Mateus is largely due to the millennial market, with social media being a big driver – fun packaging, branding, celebrity endorsements and quirky quotes have made rosé very ‘Instagramable’.”
