The world is thirsty for Italian (and Garda) rosé

Claudio Andrizzi
Written by Claudio Andrizzi

The whole world wants to drink pink and italian. While in Italy it is still hard to find a wine list with a good selection of rosé and the consumption is basically stationary. It is the controversial picture that emerged from the Italia in Rosa congress “From fashion to denomination: how the rosé market changes”, organized by the Consortium Valtènesi on June 3 in the premises of villa Galnica in Puegnago on the occasion of the tenth edition of the rosé festival.

Special guest Jean Marc Ducasse, a manager buyer who told the experience of Cannes’ Pink Rosé Festival, an absolute novelty in the scenarios of the rosé festival. In its first edition of February 2017, the French event hosted 78 buyers from 31 countries. Well, their requests saw Italy at the top of the market with a 24% share, prevailing on the other two major producing countries, France and Spain. Veneto, Apulia, Abruzzo and Lombardy, with the Valtènesi, were the most sought after areas. And all the buyers have complained about the lack of labels from some areas of Italy, asking for a greater presence of wineries from especially from Lake Garda.

On the basis of these results, Ducasse has spurred Italian and Garda producers to believe more in a winning product. “The charm of Made in Italy still has an extraordinary appeal – he said -. But it takes a greater effort in terms of communication to strengthen the image and penetration of Italian rosès and to grasp the extraordinary prospects offered at the moment by the market. ”

Numbers are impressive. It is enough to think that between 2002 and 2014 the world consumption of rosé has exceeded the 10% threshold, with extraordinary performance in France, + 43% and in the USA, where growth was 40%. Not to mention countries such as the United Kingdom, where, although starting from very low shares, the increase in the same period was 250%. Strong growth was also recorded in Canada, + 120%, or Hong Kong, + 250%. While in Italy there is substantial stability. “A shame, considering the growing demand around the world,” Ducasse said. But this must be an invitation to work with greater conviction on the promotion of a product that is still virtually unavailable in national restaurant lists, especially in comparison with what is happening abroad. ”

Confirms in this regard came from Jenia Gigante of deGusto Salento, an association of 18 producers engaged in the valorization of Negramaro, this year’s guest in Italy in Rosa, who will in turn host the Valtènesi producers at Roséxpo in Lecce (June 8-10 ) with a dedicated masterclass.

“Rosé has never been a fashion for us, as we are the first consumers of our wine, but getting it to the restaurants lists and in the wine shops is very hard,” said Jlenia Gigante, a representative of the association that represents a volume of about 500,000 Bottles -. With Roséxpo we wanted to create an event less closely related to the dynamics of the territory by creating a format capable of paying more attention to our products by enclosing labels from other areas of Italy and also from abroad. For four years we have been working to communicate differently, to offer a new idea of ​​appeal that can attract a winelover audience, stimulate the millennials, passionate curious consumers. ”

A path similar to that undertaken by Italia in Rosa, which for the Valtènesi Consortium today is without doubt the most important moment in which to tell the territory, its identity and its progress.

“There is still much work to be done to give strength to the Italian rose wine movement,” concluded President Alessandro Luzzago. We need to be more aware that we have an important product in our hands. Of course, there are those who come to rosè led by fashion and consumption growth, and there are areas with noble features that we want to emphasize. And it is especially with these areas that we want to network, with those who have history, with those who have an autochtonous grape destined for the production of rosé, who can boast elements that have produced a savoir faire that is synonymous with historicity and quality, starting from relationship with the other great doc of Garda, Bardolino, on which we have great expectations. But these synergies can not ignore the fact that for us the priority is above all to be strong on our territory. From here, for example, initiatives such as Passione Valtènesi, an alliance project with local restaurants that must become the first ambassadors of our work”.

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