Yes Way, Rosé: Wine Inspires Instagram Meme, Totes and Tees

Wine lovers are increasingly viewing the world through rosé-tinted glasses, say industry leaders, pointing to double-digit growth in U.S. retail sales of premium imported rosé wines every year of the past decade.

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In addition to toasts, this season the pink libation has inspired an Instagram meme, totes and tees. The battle cry for this merry movement? “Yes way, rosé.”

Erica Blumenthal and Nikki Huganir are the masterminds behind the trending hashtags #yeswayrose, #summerwater and #rosevibes, which came to them after they realized they were exclusively sipping the rosy stuff after Memorial Day. Soon, the catchy phrases were gracing tote bags, shirts and iPhone sleeves on their own e-commerce site.

“Drink your pinks, eat your greens. #healthé #drinkpink #yeswayrosé” commanded one recent Instagram post snapped during dinner hours.

Typically made using red grapes, rosé juice has very little contact with the skins during the winemaking process, leaving behind trace amounts of color, flavors and tannins. This results in a combination of red wine on the nose and palate, with the freshness and structure of a white wine, say wine experts.

In other words, it’s very easy on the palate.

“Sales of rosé wine overtook sales of white wine in France 20 years ago for a very good reason,” said Stephen Cronk, founder of Mirabeau, which is based in Provence–the largest rosé producing region in France. “Many people enjoy the flavors of red wines but either find them too heavy in summer or they don’t like the stronger tannins in red. With delicious aromas of summer fruits combined with a fresh, citrusy acidity on the palate, a well made Provence rosé is pure sunshine in a glass.”
While the girls at Yes Way, Rosé champion drinking rosé year-round, and producers interviewed for this story declined to share a cutoff date for quaffing, most drinkers wean themselves off of the wine after Labor Day.

Should you choose to indulge further along in the calendar year, just be sure to safeguard your stock.

“The vast majority of rosés are made to be drunk within 1-2 years,” said Cronk. “In order for them to remain fresh over longer time periods, care must be taken not to expose the wine to harmful UV rays.”

After all, summer can’t last forever.