People in France are still biggest drinkers of rosé wine in world

People in France are still the biggest consumers of rosé wine in the world, and each adult drinks an average of 20 bottles per year, a new report from the global authority on rosé has said.

The Observatoire Mondial du Rosé released its latest report (2021 synthesis of 2019 data) this week. It found that people in France are, once again, the world’s highest consumers of the spring and summertime favourite.

A total of 23.6 million hectolitres are consumed in France each year, and the study calculates that this equates to 20 bottles per adult over 18 per year.

In fact, since May 2022, people in France have been buying more rosé wine than red wine (perhaps as a result of the high temperatures), with €400million worth bought from supermarkets alone. This is €20million more than the amount spent on red wine over the same time.

Consumption levels in France represent 35% of the world total.

Global glasses

Rosé wine is growing in popularity worldwide. Reports show that it has seen rising consumption levels each year over the long-term, increasing by 23% in the last 20 years (since the first study in 2002), although there was a -1% drop in 2019.

People in France consume on average 15.1 litres per year. Perhaps surprisingly, the second-highest consumers are people in Uruguay (9.7 litres), followed by Cyprus (5.2), Belgium (5.1) and Switzerland (5.1).

The report identified countries that still have “relatively low” consumption levels but which have “strong potential”. These include the UK (2 litres per inhabitant per year), the US (1.3), Australia (1 litre), Canada (0.7), and China (0.1).

Read more: French rosé wine booms as UK shows biggest demand

Production and export levels

The rosé wine consumed in France mainly comes from French vineyards and producers, and French production is still by far the most prolific in the world.

According to the latest data (2019), the equivalent of 933 million bottles were produced in France that year, a full 30% of the world total.

Spain is the second-most prolific producer, with stable levels of production over the past two years. The US is in third place, and Italy is in fourth.

Spain is the highest exporter in the world, ahead of France. Yet, the value of French rosé has increased by 7% since the last report, making France the highest exporter of “premium rosé”.

In terms of exports the average price per 75cl bottle sold around the world has risen 29% since 2015, with an average of €1.57 in 2019. However, premium rosé has an average price of €3.75 per 75cl bottle in 2019.

The Observatoire Mondial du Rosé reports include studies of 45 countries. The group has around 20 consultant experts and also consults several consumer panels. It has been producing reports on the industry since 2002.

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