Rosé wine recorded the fastest sales growth in the Russian wine market during the first half of 2026, according to analysts at research firm ICMR cited by state news agency RIA Novosti.
Sales of rosé wine in Russia rose by 7.8 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, making the category the main driver of overall market growth. White wine sales also increased by 3.8 percent over the same period, while consumer interest in red wine declined.
Experts attributed the shift in sales to changing consumer preferences across the country. According to ICMR, women in particular are increasingly choosing lighter and fresher alcoholic beverages.
White wine overtakes red in Russian production
The retail growth in lighter wines aligns with a broader shift in domestic winemaking output. Figures reported in late October showed that white wine accounted for a larger share of total Russian wine production than red wine for the first time over the first three quarters of 2026.
During the first three quarters of 2026, white wines made up 48 percent of total domestic production volume in Russia, an increase of 3 percentage points over the year. Red wines accounted for 46 percent of domestic output over the same period.
Separate retail figures covering January to September 2026 showed that 548.8 thousand decalitres of low-alcohol beverages were sold in Russia during the first three quarters of the year.
How lighter wines and beverage volumes are measured
RIA Novosti is one of Russia's primary state-owned news agencies and regularly reports on domestic retail and industrial market statistics. In Russian beverage industry reporting, sales and production volumes are measured in decalitres, abbreviated as dal, a metric unit of volume used to track bulk commercial distribution across the wine and low-alcohol sectors.
Rosé and white wines are generally lower in tannins than red wines, which are fermented with dark grape skins for longer periods. Winemakers produce rosé by allowing only brief contact between the grape juice and dark skins, resulting in the paler colour and fresher taste profile that ICMR analysts linked to recent Russian purchasing trends.
