How the islands are driving rosé’s rise in Southeast Asia
While major Southeast Asian cities continue to favour red wine, consumers are gravitating towards lighter styles – Champagne, light whites and increasingly, rosés – in Bali and Thailand’s islands. Nimmi Malhotra reports.
Thailand: a market within a market
“Wine preference in southern Thailand is totally different from Bangkok,” says Watchara (Bird) Leelao, head sommelier at Intercontinental Phuket. The heat and beach lifestyle are driving the shift: guests want something refreshing and lower in alcohol. “Rosé is picking up,” he adds. “It’s light, refreshing, moderate alcohol and goes well with food.”
But rosé is not the reigning choice yet. Champagne claims that mantle across most islands like Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Yao Noi and more, making rosé a close second.
At Intercontinental Phuket, the rosé list extends to more than ten labels that skew premium, featuring Whispering Angel, Miraval and AIX from Provence. Watchara says this reflects a high-end guest profile, who prefer known brands. Other producers around the island include Planeta from Sicily and Languedoc-based producers like Gérard Bertrand.
Walter Giomi, premium portfolio manager at Thailand’s prominent distributor, Bangkok Beer and Beverage Co. Ltd, offers a closer look into what is driving the consumption. Rosé sales on the islands, he says, are largely tourist-led, with foreign tourism accounting for the bulk of both on-trade and off-trade sales. The category is dominated by entry-level and premium labels, largely from Provence.
“If you bring a Provencal-style rose, it could translate to sales. Any other rosé styles struggle,” says Giomi. The price is key, he emphasises. “Whatever is more expensive than Provence won’t move.”
In Phuket, Watchara places importance on education. He firmly believes that with the right marketing and trade education, rosé has a real potential to gain more ground in the island markets.
Bali: growing, not yet booming
The pattern holds in Bali, where the drinks business recently looked into a burgeoning wine scene driven by a surge in new wine bars and local winemakers. Despite this, the market is at an earlier stage. “Rosé is definitely growing in Bali, although the demand is still developing rather than booming,” says Minyoung Ryu, head sommelier at Potato Head, Bali.
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Seasonality plays a significant role. “Rosé performs much better from April to September when European travellers dominate the market,” she says. “But when the mix shifts toward Asian travellers from Australia, Japan and Korea, the demand swings toward sparkling and crisp whites.”
Ryu believes that while rosé is not yet a core volume category, the market interest is clearly increasing. “Importers are expanding their portfolios. They have been approaching us more frequently than before, presenting rosé samples and seeking feedback. That wasn’t common a few years ago,” she says.
In contrast to Phuket, the Bali rosé market leans towards accessible entry-level expressions rather than premium labels. Provence and Languedoc styles are gaining traction. Brands like Mirabeau are quite visible in the market. “These styles tend to perform better than higher-priced rosés, as they match the casual beach environment and the price sensitivity of many guests,” says Ryu. In addition, rosés by Balinese wine producers Hatten, Sababay and Isola are also popular and widely poured by the glass at beach clubs across the island.
The trade view
The momentum is not lost on Conseil Interprofessionel des Vins de Provence (CIVP).
According to IWSR data, rosé is growing off a low base but at a noticeable pace. In Thailand, the category currently accounts for 2% of the market share, with a CAGR of 15% between 2019 and 2024. In Indonesia, rosé holds roughly 1% market share, with a more measured CAGR of 2.4% over the same period.
“From our perspective, the key challenge now is less about awareness and more about market presence: increasing availability through retail listings, strengthening distribution in the on-trade, and creating key moments of visibility throughout the year”, says Manon Penot, events project manager at CIVP.
Her optimism leans on IWSR analysis, which suggests that Asia-Pacific could be among the most dynamic for rosé development in the coming years, both in value and volume terms.
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