The Success of Rosé Wine in France: The Millennial Revolution

Abstract

Rosé wine consumption in France has tripled since 1992 and, in 2020, accounts for a third of the total national consumption. The objective of our article is to analyze the revolutionary success of rosé wine in France in the Millennial Generation. We mobilize the concept of social representation, which constitutes an understanding of the social transformations in progress for a given social group. We carry out in-depth qualitative research based on conversations with millennial rosé wine consumers. Our results show that the representations of rosé wine for this group are based on five dimensions: (a) product quality and refusal of sophistication, (b) color of the rosé wine, (c) freedom, (d) immediate pleasure and sharing with friends, and (e) its feminine personality. This transgressive capital explains the consumption behaviors of the Millennial Generation reflecting the group’s will to break traditional wine codes familiar to previous generational groups. This sociocultural model differs from that of the Baby Boomer Generation, which was marked by the valorization of terroir and sophistication and based on masculine archetypes and red wine. Rosé wine thus marks a generational and sociological break in the representations of wine in France, which we can describe as a rosé wine revolution in the 21st century. The predictive capacity of the Millennial Generation suggests a growth in rosé wine consumption in the years to come. We recommend to rosé wine producers seven strategic axes, which reconcile the point of view of the producer and the consumer.