Once derided as a poor relation of real wine, sales of rosé have rocketed across Britain and France over the last few years as consumers look to expand their taste experiences. Rosé wine, it seems, is one thing the British and French can agree on.

The French may be drinking less wine generally, but rosé sales have risen by 10 million bottles in the last five years, according to synthetic cork producer Nomacorc. France now gets through 138 million bottles every year. This includes 30,000 bottles of the Shiraz rosé exported by Grover Vineyards.

In Britain, meanwhile, rosé now claims between 5-7% of the wine market compared with less than 1% a few years ago, comments Anne Burchett, Managing Director of Castel Wines, which owns wine retailer Oddbins.

The rising popularity of rosé wine reveals a potentially lucrative niche avenue for wine firms as they look to maintain growth in global wine consumption.

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