The list of regions around the world that make good Rosé wine is very long because Rosé is a style of wine, not a wine grape variety. But the word-association game answer is easy: Rosé? Provence.

And although my friends in California and the Languedoc and other places that have nice Rosé  hate it when I say this, if you are talking Rosé here in the United States the conversation begins with Provence.

#1 Export Market: USA

The wine producers in Provence are understandably happy with this situation because they have come to depend on the U.S. market to drink up their Rosé wine exports. According to data provided by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), the U.S. was Provence’s #1 export market in 2018, happily emptying 26.3 million bottles of Provençal wine, 98% of which was Rosé.

Rosé is one of the hot segments of the U.S. wine market and the Rosé from Provence is very strong. But it would be a mistake for the Provençal producers to become complacent about their signature wine’s position in its most important export market.

This is especially true given that the overall U.S. wine market seems to be reaching a plateau and that the current trade war environment is not friendly to Rosé wines from France that have less that 14% abv and so are subject to the recently implemented 25% tariff. And then there is the threat of more tariffs in 2020.  Yikes!

Now Boarding: Air Provence

So the Provençial producers have organized an ambitious trade event called Air Provence that is scheduled for April 6 – 7, 2020 to keep their wines on U.S. radars and deepen market penetration.  Incredibly, given their success in the U.S. market, they have even more to share. The program offers wine trade members an intense immersion in the region and its wines, with 200 producers and more than a thousand wines on offer in addition to dinners, masterclasses, and so on. The event website summarizes the program like this:

The very first edition of AIR PROVENCE, organized by the Provence Wine Council for Côtes de Provence estates, invites you to take off on a unique immersive journey at the heart of the leading rosé wines appellation. For two days, experience a business class trip to meet producers and wine merchants, discover terroirs and landscapes, and taste wines as well as Provence art de vivre.

I’m interested in Air Provence in the context of the recent discussions about generic wine promotion in the U.S. We often focus on consumer-facing strategies (the “Got Milk?” approach), but there are many places in the product chain where leverage can be applied, either as a substitute for or complement to other tactics. The Provence producers are working to get the attention of trade actors (importers, buyers, etc.) who can become active  partners in selling their wines.

Provence Rosé wines are hot, but the trade wars are creating turbulence and headwinds for the wine market generally and for French wines in particular. Provence Rosé producers are smart to be proactive, using programs like Air Provence to build on their successful market foundation at this moment of uncertainty. I wish them good fortune, but as Bette Davis said  in All About Eve, better fasten your seat belts!