Words Richard Hope
Picture this: It’s a warm July evening on your patio on Vancouver Island. The sun casts golden light across the San Juan Islands as you pour a glass of locally-made rosé. This scene, once uncommon in B.C., has become a summer staple. What was once dismissed as “white zinfandel” or “blush” has transformed into one of wine’s great success stories.
The rosé revolution has reached every corner of the wine world. In France, consumers now drink more rosé than red or white wine, making them the world’s largest rosé consumers (followed by Uruguay and Belgium). Here in B.C., rosé sales continue to increase, and here on Vancouver Island, there are some excellent local products.
Rosé is made from red grapes, but contrary to popular belief, it’s not a blend of red and white wine. Instead, it’s crafted using one of wine’s most ancient techniques. Red grapes are crushed and placed in fermentation vats with their skins for a carefully controlled period, typically two to 20 hours. This brief maceration allows just enough time to extract the desired red or pink hue and subtle flavours from the grape skins. The juice is then separated from the skins and fermented, much like white wine, resulting in a fresh and crisp wine.
While rosé has ancient roots, this modern revolution can be traced to the launch of one wine in 2006: Château d’Esclans’ Whispering Angel. Owned by global conglomerate LVMH, Whispering Angel has captured 65% of rosé sales in North America, with 500,000 cases (six million bottles) sold in 2024 alone. Its bone-dry style and food-friendly profile perfectly suit the B.C. palate, pairing beautifully with everything from fresh local seafood to summer barbecues.
If Whispering Angel served as the “gateway rosé” which made rosé fashionable again, then celebrities quickly jumping on the opportunity turbocharged the industry. Across B.C., you will find Kylie Minogue’s Côtes de Provence, John Legend’s LVE Rosé, Sarah Jessica Parker’s Invivo X, Brad Pitt’s Miraval, and Jon Bon Jovi’s Hampton Water. Business Insider drank all of these and found them to taste like “spiked water.”
The celebrity rosé phenomenon reflects both the category’s profitability and its lifestyle appeal. Hampton Water, launched in 2018 by Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse Bongiovi, exemplifies this trend. Produced in southern France, the wine features a minimalist label with a diving figure, and has built a following through social media marketing, amassing over 500,000 TikTok followers. As Jesse Bongiovi explains: “We knew that to speak to the consumer the way we wanted, we had to be social first.”
And it’s social media that’s driving the market wild for rosé. Instagram feeds overflow with images of rosé and aspirational images of the Mediterranean. The marketing push has even created new categories. When data showed rosé’s initial popularity skewed heavily towards women, marketers coined the term “brosé” to appeal to male consumers. And it worked, contributing to doubled sales growth in 2016. This appeal shows no signs of a slowdown on the horizon, with sales expected to continue growing through to 2030.
Recommendations
Averill Creek Joué: This deep red rosé is crafted from locally-grown Pinot Noir and Maréchal Foch, and is matured in stainless steel. It’s a rosé with a lot of structure and comes unfiltered and unfined, with little intervention, making it a great local wine.
Kutatás Wines – Salt Spring Island Rosé 2023: Kutatás wines remain a firm favourite, with this Salt Spring Island wine continuing to be a solid choice when buying local. Notes of rhubarb and strawberry pair this wine excellently with local charcuterie.
Whispering Angel: The one that started it all. Château d’Esclans’ rosé is delicate and refreshing. It tastes great with cheese and seafood, and is perfect on a summer day. Serve well chilled, straight from the fridge.
Masseria Li Veli Torrerose Rosato: This is a fantastic wine from Puglia in Italy and offers something different. The rosé is made from Susumaniello grapes and produces a wine with real freshness and vibrancy, as well as notes of pomegranate.
Caves de Lugny Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé: This is an excellent rosé for a special occasion, being a sparkling version from France. Highly recommended as an alternative to Champagne.
