Zero-alcohol ‘Kylie’ wine sells one bottle every 10 seconds

Kylie Minogue’s latest wine release, an alcohol-free sparkling rosé, showed strong sales in the build-up to Christmas, figures reveal.

With this latest achievement pop princess Kylie Minogue has definitely put a cork in the mouths of any remaining ‘celebrity wine’ doubters.

Having launched Kylie Minogue Wines in partnership with Benchmark Drinks a little more than two years ago, a series of deft releases including among them a Prosecco, a Provence rosé, a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a Merlot, has racked up more than 7 million bottle sales, with the wines available to purchase in 31 countries.

The jewel in the crown, however, might just turn out to be Kylie’s 0% alcohol Sparkling Rosé, launched in December, which sold one bottle every ten seconds over the Christmas period, and that’s without the sales that will no doubt be garnered during Dry January.

Creating a booze-free wine is no easy task, but as The Drinks Business No-and-low Global Masters competition showed (results to be announced soon), headway is being made on the flavour frontier of this category. Kylie’s expression, for one, has won over countless consumers, with bottles of her pink fizz flying off the shelves as the sober-curious movement continues to grow.

Kylie’s 0% alcohol Sparkling Rosé was created through blending premium European grapes with green tea from the Liu-Da Mountains of Yunnan province in China, with one bud and two leaves individually hand-plucked at a time for maximum extraction. Brewed into a strong infusion and added to the grape ferment, the result is a boosted mouthfeel and finish, rounded off with dried tannins to present a complex, balanced sparkling rosé, without the alcohol.

“I am over the moon with the incredible response to this latest addition to the Kylie Minogue Wines portfolio,” said Minogue. “Our first zero-alcohol wine and a truly sparkling example what can be achieved in this area. This really is a tribute to my amazing Kylie Minogue Wines team – ever since we launched, we have focused on delivering many varietals of innovative and high quality wine, for every occasion and person, worldwide. Our Zero Percent Sparkling Rosé is no exception, and I am beyond thrilled it has been received so well.”

In the drinks business’ exclusive interview with the ‘Spinning Around’ singer, Kylie revealed: “The mid-palate can sometimes be missing in alcohol-free wines, which are often too sweet, and I couldn’t put my name to that. We did a tasting in New York and it wasn’t quite there, so we dialled down the sweetness a bit to a level I was happy with. Tasting it in bottle for the first time was an exciting moment. I was a bit nervous; I’m not going to lie. We had it at breakfast with croissants, which was the perfect way to enjoy it.”

Speaking of her desire for people ‘not to feel excluded’ from drinking occasions, she added: “I want people to drink it in their best Champagne glasses. You get to pop the cork and the colour is gorgeous, so it still feels utterly celebratory… I wanted people to be able to join the party.”

Kylie Minogue Wines will be taking a stand in the French hall at ProWein this year.

The wines are available to buy in UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Harvey Nichols, while her Côtes de Provence Rosé is also poured at some of the world’s best on-trade establishments including Annabel’s in London.