Chanel Buys Rosé-Focused Winery in Provence
Most big drinks trends eventually subside, so it’s fair to wonder whether, after years in the spotlight, the excitement around rosé is losing steam. Well, here’s some news that may leave you thinking otherwise: Chanel—one of the world’s best-known fashion houses—has purchased a winery in France’s most famed rosé region, Provence, meaning the brand known for its pink couture is about to start selling more pink wine.
After a long negotiation, the Chanel group has reportedly snatched up Domaine de l'Ile, a winery located on the small island of Porquerolles located just off France’s southern coast in the region of Provence. Though the 75-acre organic vineyard produces red, white, and rosé wine, the pink stuff makes up about 70 percent of its annual production of about 15,000 cases.
"The idea is to continue the incredible work [current owner Sébastien Le Ber] has been doing," Chanel’s head winemaker Nicolas Audebert told Wine Spectator. "Sébastien has been looking to sell for two years. His choice to sell to us was because we aren't coming in with a different plan… We don't want to change the varieties, but the proportion could be slightly different." Audebert also said that the plan was to keep the winery’s focus on rosé, but was excited at the prospect of producing more white wines as well. (Meanwhile, The Drinks Business reports that Le Ber will retain some interest in the vineyard as a minority shareholder.)
Chanel is certainly not new to wine. The privately-owned French company already has four other wineries: three in Bordeaux—Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, (bought in 1994), Chateau Canon (bought in 1996), and Chateau Berliquet (bought in 2017)—and one in the Napa Valley—St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery (bought in 2015). But certainly, whether intended or not, Chanel’s purchase of a Provence vineyard with a proclivity towards rosé would seem to signal that rosé is still on-trend… at least until Chanel tells us otherwise.
