42 MARKET WATCH | MARKETWATCHMAG.COM | JUNE 2019
in 2018. The boxed wine is available in a 3-liter size and a
500-ml. Tetra Pak. Kate McManus, vice president of market-
ing for Delicato, says the product and its packaging make it
perfect for beach, pool, or backyard events.
Delicato also offers Noble Vines 515 rosé, a Provence-style
offering from California that was inspired by “the perfect
time of day (5:15 P.M.) to toast the end of the workday or
the beginning of the evening,” according to McManus. In
addition, the company imports Relax rosé from Spain and
represents Toad Hollow rosé from Sonoma County and
Oregon-based Wine by Joe rosé, which offers “Joe to Go”
375-ml. cans in addition to 750-ml. bottles.
Four of ten leading domestic rosés come from The Wine
Group, and all of them registered strong growth last year despite
having launched only in the past three years. Cupcake led the
portfolio at 125,000 cases in 2018, up from 55,000 cases the
prior year, according to Impact Databank. Franzia and Ava
Grace both registered strong increases, and Chloe surged to
58,000 cases on 70.6% growth.
Market Clutter
The Wine Group isn’t the only company to launch rosé
wines in recent years. With the rapid growth in consump-
tion across the United States, the number of rosé offerings
on the market has exploded. “With the uptick in consumer
demand, more producers are giving their rosé wines more
attention, crafting them as seriously as they do other wines,
and the variety of styles we now have to choose from is unbe-
lievably fun,” says Cured’s Frischkorn.
But while many new brands or rosé line extensions have
had some level of success, others have stumbled out of the
gate. “The number of brands enjoying the majority of bene-
fits from the rosé category is limited,” Deutsch’s Steffanci
says, adding that the leftover 2017 vintage offerings that
didn’t sell are now clogging up distributor warehouses as well
as retail shelves. “We’re seeing 2017 rosés that sold for $15
being offered as closeouts at $2 a bottle.” Vineyard Brands’
Doody also notes this problem. “A lot of people who
shouldn’t have been making rosé just jumped in and did it,”
he says. “Many of those were domestic, and they’re now being
winnowed out.”
Some wine marketers say they expect rosé to maintain
growth but the landscape to change. “While we expect rosé
as a category will continue flourishing, the offerings will have
to narrow—we predict less than ten brands will eventually
have the lion’s share of the scale,” says Steffanci.
Latitude Beverage Co.’s Vankoski, meanwhile, anticipates
still more brands, even as the current lineup is undergoing a
shake-out. He points out that rosé hasn’t fully infiltrated all
markets. “Americans consume a small portion of the global
supply of rosé, and that consumption is happening mainly on
the coasts,” he says. “It really hasn’t permeated the rest of the
country, so there’s still room to grow.” mwSELECTED DOMESTIC ROSÉ BRANDS IN THE U.S.
(thousands of 9-liter case depletions)
Percent Change^1
Brand Company Origin 2016 2017 2018 2016-2017 2017-2018
Bota Box Delicato Family Vineyards California 94 163 255 73.0% 56.6%
Cupcake^2 The Wine Group California 1 55 125 + +
Franzia The Wine Group California - 26 89 + +
Charles & Charles Trinchero Family Estates Washington 57 71 84 24.9 18.7
Chloe The Wine Group California 11 34 58 + 70.6
Ava Grace The Wine Group California - 13 48 + +
Meiomi Constellation Brands California - 21 47 + +
Ménage à Trois Trinchero Family Estates California 25 36 40 44.4 9.1
Noble Vines Delicato Family Vineyards California - 21 25 + 20.3
Chateau St. Jean Treasury Wine Estates Americas California 8 20 19 + -1.2
Total Selected Domestic Rosé^3 196 458 789 + 72.2%(^1) Based on unrounded data
(^2) Excludes sparkling
(^3) Addition of columns may not agree due to rounding.
Source: IMPACT DATABANK ©2019
Since Whispering Angel rosé from Château d’Esclans (château
above) debuted in the U.S. in 2007, the brand has skyrocketed in
popularity—especially in the Northeast, where sales remain focused.
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