Rosé is not just for Summer..

As the season ticks round from Summer to Autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, you might be forgiven for thinking that the time to drink rosé is coming to an end. There is a feeling that drinking rosé in the colder months is somehow wrong. Rosé consumption has grown considerably over the last few years, according to Statista in 2016 Rosés accounted for 11% of the UK wine market, this year it is expected to hit 20%. Whilst a lot of this consumption is happening in the traditional “Rosé Months” of April through August there is a lot of growth happening in the colder months of the year. At Hawkins Bros Fine English Wines our Rosé sales this year saw a growth in the Summer months of a very healthy 37%, however Rosé sales over the off season saw an incredible 217% rise!

So what is driving this increase and who is drinking the Rosé?

We've noticed a lot more men buying and drinking what has traditionally been seen as a feminine drink, the launch of a lot more dry styles has seen this trend grow. Our customers are also tending to food match more with Rosés rather than just using them as aperitif wines. I'm certainly going to be drinking a lot more Rosé this coming season

Three Seasonal Rosé Rules

1. Don’t drink it too cold

When it’s cold outside, just having your Rosé at cool room temperature – similar to the correct temperatures for things like Pinot Noir – will release more flavour and tannins from the wine.

2. Drink it from a red wine glass

Now you’ve got your Rosé to a warmer temperature, treat it more like a red wine and put it in a more robust-looking red wine glass. A larger red wine glass will release more aroma (and therefore flavour) from your Rosé, which is what you’re looking for in a Winter drink.

3. Choose a sharper, drier Rosé

A dry Rosé will tend to be crisper and also deal with being a bit warmer without losing that characteristic flavour and body. In the Winter, since it’s been a bit longer since these Rosés were released, the flavours may have softened or gained complexity over time. Consumers often snap up Rosé wines so quickly after release that they haven’t had a chance to settle after bottling.

At Hawkins Bros Fine English Wines we've got a great selection of English Rosés, check out the sparkling wines here and the still wines here.