2020 Rosé-a-Rama 

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | JUNE 11, 2020

The Rosé season has started, but definitely not at the frenetic pace of the last several years. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has put a damper on demand for all wines. Even the ever-popular pink versions aren’t immune to market realities. That said, the best 2019 Rosés are generous, soft and versatile at the dinner table.

There’s been no other category of wine more popular, or with even close to similar growth of global market share, than Rosé over the last five years. Retail shelves have been awash in it, and exports of European Rosé, especially from France, had been expanding at a breathtaking pace before early 2020. But the pandemic appears to have pulled the brake on this red-hot category, at least for the time being. In the United States, the 25% import tariff on sub-14%-alcohol wines, which means pretty much all pink versions, has in many cases caused prices to surge upward. To preserve market presence, a number of importers, distributors and retailers have done what they can to absorb the brunt of the new tariff rather than pass the cost on to the consumer, which is to be lauded. 

2019 in France