Sparkling Pink Elephant launches with Tesco listing

Pink Elephant rosé, Portugal’s vinous answer to spicy food, has been joined by a sparkling wine.

The brand extension has been listed by Tesco’s online wine club and has a 33% price reduction for this month, taking its bottle price down to £6.

Although the still wine, launched in 2007, is from Portugal, the new pink fizzy addition is from France.

“Our first thoughts were to produce the sparkling wine in Portugal but when we looked at sourcing we couldn’t find the quality we wanted for the brand, or the pricing,” explains Bill Rolfe, director at 10 International, which imports the brand.

Instead, Pink Elephant sparkling is being made by the Compagnie Française des Grands Vins at the Caves de Wissembourg winery in Alsace.

The wine is made with 40% Cabernet Franc from the Loire and 60% Grenache from southern France.

Rolfe said the sparkling has a “hint of sweetness; it is not demi-sec but it isn’t bone dry.”

Although the sparkling rosé, unlike the still wine, has not been blended specifically to match fiery food, Rolfe said that the new product would go extremely well with spicy dishes.

10 International hopes to sell 200,000 bottles of Pink Elephant sparkling in the UK in the first 12 months.

Patrick Schmitt, 21.04.2010