Rosé, Reframed

BY BILLY NORRIS | JUNE 23, 2026

In a global wine market plagued by macroeconomic uncertainty, declining sales, tariffs, reports of less alcohol consumption among younger drinkers and a general
sense of unease, the once white-hot Rosé category has been in limbo since its
2019 peak. But the numbers tell a more nuanced story than simple decline. While
it’s undeniable that Rosé has lost ground, it has lost less ground than still
wine as a whole. Rosé is showing surprising resilience.

The more interesting story is what is happening within the
category. As producers leave behind the volume-driven boom of the 2010s, we are
beginning to see the signs of a stylistic recalibration that has actually been in
the making for years. In <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rose-revolution-light-red-is-the-new-pink-may-2025">last
year’s report</a>, I highlighted the emergence of darker-colored Rosés that are
closer to red wine in body, flavor and overall complexity. This trend
continues, along with notable premiumization and a focus on high-end (read: expensive)
Rosés. Numerous conversations with importers, distributors and retailers
suggest that Rosé is following the broader contours of the wine market: The
entry-level tier is taking a beating, the mid-tier wines are treading water,
and the luxury tier is, in many cases, thriving.

Rosé is often treated as a seasonal afterthought, an
affordable entry point into a producer’s range, a tasting-room staple or a wine
with little utility beyond the poolside. Many are made from press wine,
bled-off juice or lesser fruit that would never make the cut for a producer’s
more “serious” bottlings. However, the best wines I tasted for this report are
something else entirely: wines made with intent and an eye toward
terroir-driven complexity. That ambition is not new; it’s just becoming more
obvious as the lower-tier wines lose traction. Bandol, Tavel, Rioja Rosado and
certain Italian Cerasuolo traditions have long been oriented toward the
production of ageworthy “pinks.”

A Rosé Refresher

Though Provence would eventually become the global shorthand
for pale-hued, dry, crisp Rosé, Tavel was formalized as a Rosé-only AOC 90
years ago, in 1936. Rosé’s commercial power picked up steam through the
twentieth century, but its visibility and market share came at the expense of
quality, shifting consumers’ perception of Rosé toward sweet, simple, crushable
wines. It wasn’t until the 2010s that the story began to change. Provence
exports to the United States grew at double-digit rates for more than a decade.
Rosé sales in the United States climbed to 18.7 million cases by 2018, and the
following year, Rosé sales volume grew while still wine sales declined. After
that peak, the category's retreat globally has been less stark than the broader
wine market, falling roughly 1.7% annually compared to 3.8% for still wines
overall as of the most recent reporting in 2025.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1782224287705-Rose+Cover_Vinous.png">The challenges of the economic climate were immediately
apparent in requesting samples for this report, a process we typically begin in
early spring. As inquiries went out, many wines had yet to land on US shores,
even as recently as a few weeks before this writing. Global economic
uncertainty is largely to blame, specifically the burdens of the nebulous
United States tariff environment. In a normal year, importers build spring and
summer portfolios months in advance. Though a few still have deep enough pockets
to have done so for this year, tariffs caused a ripple effect of hesitation
throughout the supply chain in 2026. Some wines were delayed, some allocations
were reduced and some pricing decisions are still up in the air (as
readers will notice in the accompanying reviews that lack prices). For a
category still anchored to spring releases and summer consumption, that
uncertainty is especially challenging. 

The Wines

The vast majority of the wines in this report are from the
2025 vintage, widely regarded as favorable across many parts of the world. As a
general observation, the 2025 Provençal Rosés are considerably lighter, airier
and more compact than the more concentrated, flavor-packed 2024s. California is
especially strong in 2025, with several wines that show real freshness, texture
and distinctiveness.

The standouts here are the wines made with ageability and
complexity in mind, most of which come from Bandol and its environs. Again, this is nothing new,
as estates like Domaine Tempier, Domaines Ott and Clos Cibonne have treated Rosé
as a serious, ageworthy wine for generations. Careful farming, intentional
vinification, bespoke élevage and terroir-driven winemaking do not come cheap,
but they can yield Rosés of real mettle. Case in point: The 2022 Château Cibon
Cuvée Marius (from Clos Cibonne) is the single most evocative Rosé I’ve ever
tasted, a wine that reframes expectations of what Rosé can be. If there’s one
takeaway from this report, it’s that you should do whatever you can to find it
and try it for yourself.

In that sense, Rosé’s resilience is both commercial and
qualitative. The category may no longer be riding the boom of the 2010s, but the
best wines are more convincing, complex and serious than ever.© 2026, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rose-revolution-light-red-is-the-new-pink-may-2025">Rosé Revolution: Light Red is the New Pink</a>, Billy Norris, May 2025 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/rose-new-releases-all-over-the-map-may-2024">Rosé New Releases: All Over the Map</a>, Vinous, May 2024<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/a-kaleidoscope-of-colors-new-rose-releases-may-2023">A Kaleidoscope of Colors: New Rosé Releases</a>, Vinous, May 2023<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2022-rose-new-releases-may-2022">2022 Rosé – New Releases</a>, Vinous, May 2022 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2021-rose-new-releases-jun-2021">2021 Rosé – New Releases</a>, Vinous, June 2021

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