Thinking – and drinking – pink used to be an exclusively female pastime and rosé wine was the white wine spritzer of the early 21st century, delicately sipped at by ladies while the men had hefty reds.
Now, however, as gender norms fall by the wayside and men realise that they’re missing out on a whole section of the wine spectrum, rosé is becoming brosé, with more and more men hitting the pink. What’s more, they’re doing it in front of each other, not using being on a date as an excuse as they may have done in the past.
Rosé rehabilitated
Rosé tends to be dry and crisp, especially the varieties that hail from France. American versions tended to be seen as excessively sweet, sickly drinks, favoured by aunties and teenage girls. Thankfully, regions like California are changing this perception by producing a range of more complex, challenging and varied rosés. This change has made wine buffs take rosé more seriously – by both genders.
More choice
Quite simply, more bros are drinking rosé because it’s a third way! Where there was the simple binary choice of red or white, men can now choose another option. It’s equal opportunity wine and lots of men are enjoying the fact that they can branch out from white or red, red or white, beer or whisky. It’s very liberating. Liberating to the point at which sales of rosé in the US have risen by almost 50% since 2014.
It’s the millennials
People aren’t just drinking rosé, they’re talking about it too, with online conversations on the rise. The millennials are the main drivers of this revolution, as they are notoriously indecisive and unwilling to commit. Rosé offers the chance to not make a choice at all, to have the best of both worlds – to have the light, refreshing crispness of a dry white and the complexity and challenge of a good red.
So, when you see a group of bros necking rosé, don’t mock them inwardly – head on over and find out what the fuss is all about.