Though France remains the world's foremost consumer of rose, pulling corks on some eight million hectolitres (176 million gallons) in 2015 alone, its booming popularity in the US has been a major boon for French winegrowers.
“Americans have totally integrated rose into the wine family,” said Olivier Brun, who along with his three brothers runs a family vineyard at Chateau Brigue, at Le Luc-en-Provence in the southeastern Var region.
“It's easily accessible and there's no need to be an expert to enjoy it,” he said.
Some 70 percent of the Brun family's sales are exports — half of them to the United States — “our top market,” where Florida, California, New York and, latterly, Chicago lead the way.
“Over there, rose is drunk in all seasons even in colder cities,” said Brun. “And it flows all summer long in the chic Hamptons,” the Long Island retreat of wealthy New Yorkers.
“Rose sales to the United States began to take off a decade ago thanks to (marketing) efforts by large estates such as Ott and Chateau de Peyrassol, a small pioneer,” says Brun.