June is just around the corner and summer will soon be here. Although we drink rosés year round at our house, summer is the time that most American consumers join the rosé parade. And, each year the parade gathers more participants. According to Nielsen, Americans drank 67% more rosé in 2017 than they did in 2016! This is a major acceleration in the increasing consumption trend of recent years. In 2012 rosé consumption increased year over year by just over 10%, in 2013 it increased around 15%, in 2014 it increased by about 30%, in 2015 it increased by almost 40%, and in 2016 it increased by 40%. This increase in American consumption of rosé is simply amazing. It follows the advice repeated many times in The Underground about the great appeal of rosé wine. And, perhaps the most compelling article of all was my article from 2012 entitled Rosé Is The Perfect Anti-Wine.

The arrival of 2017 rosés seems a bit late this year. In local stores where I live I notice a lot of 2016 rosés on the shelves and very few 2017s. Maybe that has something to do with it.  Or maybe that is just a local phenomenon. No matter.  What we know is that in Provence (the leading rosé producing area in the world) 2017 was a short crop. Some have called it the “Smallest harvest since 1945.”  So maybe not as many 2017 rosés from Provence will be exported? We shall see.

I have been tasting 2017 rosés since early April. As usual, there are many really lovely wines and some absolutely incredible bargains. And, yes you can even find really nice 2017 rosés from Provence at single digit prices! And, as is the case every year, I have found a lot of really terrific 2017 rosés from producers that I taste every year as well as some new ones. So now is the time for all of you to get in the 2017 rosé parade. It’s easy and, of course, The Underground will guide you (to read my article FOR THE LOVE  OF ROSÉS – WHY, WHEN, AND HOW TO BUY THEM & DRINK THEM
click here ).  I will post a 2017 rosé article with many tasting notes soon. In the meantime, in case you missed it, take a look at my recent article Is It Rosé Time?. This article has a few early tasting notes on 2017 rosés and covers the history of rosé in the US and my involvement and the involvement of The Underground Wineletter with rosé (including links to all rosé articles posted on the website).

In Vino Veritas,

John Tilson