UK heatwave 2017 sends Provence rosé sales soaring

Supermarkets and wine merchants have seen a strong increase in rosé sales in the UK during a heatwave that culminated in the hottest day for 40 years.

UK heatwave sends Provence rosé sales soaring

June 21st was the hottest day in the UK since 1976, with temperatures reaching 34°C celsius in some parts of the country. Other countries have also experienced a spate of hot weather, from France to the south-west US.

In the UK, Decanter.com has discovered that a week of high temperatures and sunshine lead to a surge in sales of rosé wines, and particularly rosé from Provence.

Asda reported an increase in rosé sales of over 26% compared to the same week last year; it saw a 170% rise in French rosé sales and also 250% in Australian rosé.

Waitrose told Decanter.com that sales of rosé were also up strongly, and Tesco reported that rosé sales were up 20% compared to the same week last year.

At Majestic, rosé sales are up 16% year to date since April 2017.

Provence rosé was doing especially well, with sales up 29% at the wine retailer.

‘Provence is flying – which, given Majestic’s already strong market share, is big,’ said Jack Merryless, spokesperson for Majestic.

Lea & Sandeman had also seen a surge in rosé sales; the MiP* Provence rosé was up 14.1% from 1st to 22nd June, compared to the same time last year.

Lea & Sandeman also told Decanter.com that there was a 4.9% increase in larger format bottles of the MiP, including magnums and jeroboams, compared to last year.

‘It’s not an entirely scientific diagnosis, but one bottle of MiP* amongst friends is just never enough in a heatwave, and a magnum seems easier to carry than two bottles,’ said Edward Hayward-Broomfield, E-commerce & digital marketing manager for Lea & Sandeman.

Sales of Champagne were up 11.3% at Lea & Sandeman, compared to June last year.

Data from Vinexpo and IWSR predict that rosé will continue to grow its share in global still wine consumption, increasing by 5.9% by 2020.

The popularity of rosé in the summer has launched products like rosé flavoured gummy bears, lollipops and ‘frosé’ cocktails.