New Zealand Rosé Day Date in the current year: February 5, 2024

A rosé is a wine produced from red wine grapes with limited skin contact. As a result, it incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough for it to be considered a red wine. The color of rosé wines can range from very pale orange to a dark pink that is closer to purple. Contrary to a popular misconception, only a very small percentage of rosés are produced by mixing red whine and white wine; in fact, this practice is discouraged in most wine growing regions and even outright forbidden in some of them.

It is believed that ancient red wines were closer to modern rosés than to present-day red wines because early winemaking techniques did not involve hard pressing and prolonged maceration. The history of modern rosé style wines, however, began in the 20th century. Sparkling rosés were initially popularized by two Portuguese brands, Lancers and Mateus, right after World War II. In the 1970s, California wine producers started making “White Zinfandel” wines, which was the beginning of the trademark American “blush” rosés.

Today, still and sparkling rosé style wines are produced in many winemaking regions. The world’s biggest rosé producing countries are France, Spain, the United States, Italy, South Africa, and Germany. Other countries that produce rosé wines include Australia, Austria, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

In New Zealand, rosé style wines are produced by wineries that produce Merlot or Pinot Noir red wines, although New Zealand rosés may be made from other red grape varieties as well. New Zealand rosés are crisp, fresh and fruity; they are made to be consumed immediately rather than left to age.

New Zealand Rosé Day, commonly shortened to NZ Rosé Day, is celebrated annually on February 5. It was established in 2015 by wine and lifestyle company Sip NZ to raise the profile of premium New Zealand rosés both nationally and internationally and to support the country’s rosé producers. 

On the occasion of the holiday, New Zealand wine producers, restaurants, bars, hotels, and other stakeholders organize wine tastings, food and wine pairing classes, and other events to get the public interested in their wines and help people realize that that rosés come in a variety of styles, sweetness level and price ranges, so everyone can find a rosé that will suit their taste and budget.

Even if New Zealand is too far away and you can’t attend any of these events in person, you can still participate in NZ Rosé Day! Observe the holiday by learning more about New Zealand wine regions and wineries that produce rosés, buying a bottle of New Zealand rosé and sharing it with a friend, going out to a restaurant or wine bar that serves NZ rosés, and spreading the word on social media with the hashtags #NZRoséDay and #NewZealandRoséDay.