In Germany, the calendar has already moved past mid-March. Winter is fading, and the wine season is slowly shifting with it. Wine lovers, basking in the sun on café and restaurant terraces, have already turned to rosé, a clear sign that the days of full-bodied reds are behind us and a fresher, lighter style of drinking lies ahead.
Global Trends
In rosé wine production, origin, grape variety, and vinification techniques are all decisive factors. Together, these three elements shape the style of the wine, which often becomes the hallmark of its region. Over the past decade, rosé has moved from being a so-called by-product to a distinct, standalone category. Its styles and colours have become more diverse, ranging from delicate purple hues to soft pinks. Today, most rosés are defined by their lightness and crispness.
Renowned Rosés Across the Globe
One of the world’s most iconic French rosés, Tavel, is classified as a PDO wine. It comes from the wine region of the southern Rhône. Its colour ranges from a deep pink to pale ruby, and it is full-bodied with moderate tannins. The wine has a complex structure with pleasant spicy aromas. It is made from Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grape varieties.
In terms of rosé production, Provence (AOC) is one of the largest regions in the world. Provençal rosés are known for their pale salmon hue, light structure, and crispness. Crafted from Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault grapes, the wines are dry, elegant, and mineral-driven.
Among Spanish rosés, wines from Rioja (DOCA) and Navarra (DOP) stand out. Spanish rosado tends to be intense in colour, with a complex profile and subtle aromas of spice and red berries. It is crafted from Tempranillo and Garnacha grapes.
Bardolino Chiaretto (DOC) is a Protected Designation of Origin rosé wine from Bardolino, Italy. The wine ranges in colour from pale to medium pink with a light structure and is crafted from Corvina and Rondinella grape varieties.
Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo is a cherry-hued rosé (rosato) from the Abruzzo region of Italy, made primarily from Montepulciano grapes (at least 85%). Since 2010, this wine has held independent DOC status and is known for its deep colour, high acidity, structured body, and notes of fruit and minerals.
German rosés range in colour from pale to medium pink. They are light to medium-bodied, with expressive fruit aromas. The wines are often crafted from Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) and Portugieser grapes. Badischer Rotling is made from Grauburgunder and Blauer Spätburgunder.
It is worth noting that in 2020, following changes to Italian wine legislation, Prosecco was officially granted a rosé category.
Georgian Rosés
I can’t recall the first Georgian rosé I ever tasted, even though I began exploring wine around the time I started studying it seriously. Most likely, it was a wine my father made from the Tavkveri grape, which, in terms of colour, often resembles Spanish rosado or Italian rosato.
Ten to fifteen years ago, rosé was rarely produced in Kartli. Tavkveri grapes were often pressed together with white varieties such as Chinuri and Goruli Mtsvane to create blends. Tavkveri, a native to Kartli, forms large, compact bunches with medium-sized, round, juicy berries and is known for its high yields.
You could say I truly discovered Georgian rosé just a few years ago, when my friend, winemaker Salome Sanikidze, offered me a taste of her 2020 undergraduate project at the Agricultural University cellar- the 2019 vintage Adanasuri rosé with refined structure and a pleasantly crisp character.
If you’ve ever happened to notice the delicate pink hue at the heart of almond blossoms, that’s the kind of astonishingly subtle colour the Adanasuri had, along with aromas rarely found in rosé, including lychee and citrus, layered with notes of wild forest strawberry, citrus zest, and red currant.
Adanasuri is a late-ripening grape variety from Imereti, with round, medium-sized berries and thick, coarse skins. It is known for its good yields. Unfortunately, not only will you have a hard time finding rosé crafted from it, but red wine as well.
When it comes to making Georgian rosé, the law allows several approaches. Winemakers can either craft it from standard grape varieties, blend white and red wines of the same quality (table, regional, or PDO), or ferment white grape must on the lees of red grapes.
The diversity of Georgian grape varieties allows winemakers to craft rosé from the grapes that best reflect each region: in Kakheti, from Saperavi; in Kartli, from Tavkveri; in Imereti, from Otskhanuri Sapere; in Ajara, from Aleksandrouli; and in Guria, from Chkhaveri.
The most recent Georgian rosé that pleasantly surprised me, I tasted last year with winemakers in Ajara. Avaliani’s 2024 Chkhaveri rosé had a Provencal style, with a delicate salmon-pink hue. Equally intriguing was the semi-dry rosé from the same grape made at Vazha Abesadze’s cellar.
According to sommelier Kosta Chanturia, rosé has recently experienced a surge in popularity among wine enthusiasts in Georgia. Much of the market is still dominated by Kakhetian Saperavi, which produces darker, fuller-bodied rosés. But the trend has shifted, and now lighter, paler salmon-hued, easy-drinking wines are emerging. Semi-dry rosés are also popular in Georgia, though colour remains the key factor for most consumers. This style tends to appeal to Gen Z, with retail prices typically ranging from 25 to 35 GEL.
Domestic Consumption and Export Markets of Georgian Rosé Wines
According to data from the National Wine Agency of Georgia, exports of rosé wine increased significantly between 2020 and 2025. Despite some year-to-year variation, volumes remain well above the baseline period. Specifically, export volumes stood at 48,336 bottles (36,252 litres) in 2020, while by 2025 this figure had risen to 1,478,276 bottles (1,108,707 litres), although this represents a decrease compared to 2024.
Among export markets for Georgian rosé, Russia accounts for the largest share of Georgian rosé exports.
The wines are exported to both European and Asian markets, including Portugal, Romania, Greece, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, France, Finland, Taiwan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sweden, Armenia, and China. More than 90% of Georgia’s rosé production comes from the Kakheti region.
On the domestic market, annual sales amount to 400,000–500,000 bottles.
In terms of pricing, export market values range from $1.5 to $15 per bottle, while on the domestic market, prices vary between 8 and 70 GEL, depending on the grape variety and the product’s positioning. Based on these figures, Georgian rosé represents a growing and promising category, both for export and domestic consumption.
Global Production, Consumption, Exports, and Pricing of Rosé Wines
Production
Global rosé production reached 22.5 million hectolitres in 2022, marking an increase compared to the previous year. Output remained relatively stable in France, Italy, Spain, and the United States, which together account for 73% of global production.
Between 2014 and 2023, global rosé production increased by 10%. Based on the 2023 harvest, France remains the leading producer, with a 28% share of global output. It is followed by Spain (19%), the United States (15%), Italy (10%), and South Africa (6%), while other countries account for the remaining 22%.
Consumption
Global rosé consumption reached its highest level in 2019. By 2023, consumption was lower, though still far below that of sparkling rosé. In France, Germany, and the United States, the level of consumption remains highest. Overall, rosé accounts for around 10% of global wine consumption. Between 2022 and 2023, approximately one in every ten bottles consumed worldwide was rosé.
Imports and Exports
Global rosé imports and exports reached a peak in 2021, followed by a decline in 2023. Despite an overall slowdown in international wine trade across all categories, rosé wines continue to increase their share of the global market.
Notably, the growth in premium rosé wine production slowed after two years of steady increase. Nevertheless, the volume of French rosé exported continued to rise.
Pricing
It is worth mentioning that, since 2019, the export price of rosé has increased in almost all major producing countries. For example, in France, the price of a 0.75 L bottle of rosé rose from €3.40 in 2019 to €4.40 in 2023. Price remained almost unchanged in Belgium (€2.60), Canada (€0.30), Hungary (€0.70), Chile (€0.50), and Spain (€0.50). Over the past ten years, prices have increased in Italy, from €1.50 in 2019 to €1.70 in 2023, and in the United States, from €1.40 in 2019 to €1.90 in 2023.
The average price of rosé in the top exporting countries was €1.30 in 2013 and €1.70 in 2023. According to 2023 data, France leads as a producer, consumer, and exporter in terms of price, and as an importer in terms of volume.
Prowein Düsseldorf 2026
In line with the main theme of Homeland of Wine, at Prowein 2026, I focused on rosé wines from the key producing regions. I began the tasting in Pavilion 6 with Spanish rosados. It’s worth noting that the diversity of Spanish rosados reflects the country’s scale. Among the wines tasted, the main grape varieties were Tempranillo and Garnacha. Compared with their typically intense colours and aromas, the rosados I sampled this year seemed noticeably lighter.
The most memorable rosés came from the island of Mallorca: light, mineral, salmon‑hued wines with an elegant structure, made from Manto Negro grapes.
At the Provence section of the tasting, it felt as if I had stepped into a large banquet, where bottles of rosé glowed against the lighting, creating a celebration in themselves. The dry, salmon-coloured wines seemed to have set the global trend for the colour and style of Provençal rosé.
At Prowein, tasting every rosé from both established and emerging wine regions is impossible. Nonetheless, a clear picture still emerges: most winemakers observed that consumer demand is largely focused on Provence-style rosés, light-pink, dry, crisp wines with delicate, restrained fruit aromas. Winemakers from Chile, Spain, Austria, South Africa, and New Zealand shared almost identical observations. A particularly notable wine was the one from the Bulgarian estate Villa Melnik in the Melnik region, crafted from the Melnik grape variety. Interestingly, one branch of this variety’s lineage traces back to the Georgian Saperavi.
