New category expected to expand sparkling wine sales by 10-15 percent.
Ethica Wines has partnered with top Prosecco producer La Gioiosa to bring Prosecco DOC Rosé to the U.S. for the first time. The wines have arrived from Italy and are available just in time for the holidays across 21 states*. Technically speaking, Prosecco DOC Rosé by La Gioiosa is one of the most interesting new wines to arrive from Italy this season.
“Prosecco Rosé will most definitely represent an opportunity, especially in this particular moment, to win over new clients and obtain new listings with distributors all over the world,” says La Gioiosa owner Giancarlo Moretti Polegato who was the first to propose a Prosecco rosé in 2009.
“Our clients have been waiting for this new product for a while now,” he notes. “The interest in sparkling rosé continues to grow across the world; the interest in Prosecco has continued to grow as well. I believe that this will translate into minimum growth of around 10-15% with respect to what we sell now, so it’s a big slice of the market.”
The production of Prosecco Rosé was approved by the Prosecco DOC consortium in May of this year. The wines must be made with a minimum of 85% Glera grapes (the traditional white grape used in Prosecco production) and 10-15% Pinot Noir to create the wine’s stunning rose hue.
La Gioiosa has been growing Pinot Noir for more than four decades. Currently, it’s one of the top-five producers of Prosecco in terms of international and domestic sales. Thanks to this unique approach to sparkling wine production, the resulting wine is extremely fresh — the hallmark of La Gioiosa’s style. And because the Glera and Pinot Noir are co-fermented (as opposed to being blended after fermentation), the wines have remarkable depth and nuance.
Because of the wine’s rich flavor profile, ranging from tropical and white fruit to berry and red fruit, it can even be paired with complex dishes and meat entrées. The Pinot Noir also imparts a distinctive texture to the wine that gives it unusual weight. Between the freshness of the nose and the structure of the palate, this wine will impress the sparkling wine lover and sommelier alike. It’s so versatile at the table that it opens up a whole new realm of possibilities in wine pairings.
Both Ethica Wines and La Gioiosa are optimistic that the introduction of this new wine will boost sales significantly in coming months.
According to figures published by Impact Databank in August of this year, imported sparkling brands have outperformed their American counterparts by 32% this year to date.
And according to Wine-searcher.com, searches on the platform for Pinot Noir have increased by 42% this year in the U.S. while searches for rosé have increased by 13% (based on 4.4 million queries).
“We’re confident that Prosecco Rosé will only add to the growing interest in sparkling wine in the U.S. market,” says Ethica Wines co-founder and CEO Francesco Ganz. “We’ve been watching sparkling wine trend robustly for years now and Prosecco Rosé is strategically positioned to expand market share for Italian wine.”
“Prosecco and Rosé have been two of the fastest growing wine categories in Canada for the past ten years,” says Select Wines (Canada) marketing director Peter Spratt. “The certification of Prosecco Rose only seems natural and has become one of the most anticipated releases of Spring 2021. We are sure to look back on this release in years to come as a monumental moment for the Prosecco and greater Italian wine category.”
La Gioiosa is one of the top-five producers of Prosecco in the world. Its wines are known for the distinctive fresh character, a product of its innovation approach to winemaking.
*Prosecco Rosé is available in December 2020 across following 21 states: Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho.
By the end of January 2021 will be distributed in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama.
Ethica Wines, Inc is a leading importer of Italian wines in the U.S. Representing some of Italy’s most iconic wineries, it focuses on building strong relationships with its customers through wine education and robust sales support.
