The fate of Navarra, a bucolic Spanish countryside expanse nestled between the far more famous regions — wine and otherwise — of Rioja, Basque Country, and Catalonia farther to the east, is at a crossroads. With broader recognition for the region still frustratingly elusive, a rebranding is on the table.
Within the context of its lauded neighbors, Navarra is largely anonymous internationally. It’s not a unique dilemma. Quiet corners of wine country globally, no matter how high the quality or how historically well known they once were, often tread water in the wake of their powerful local peers: Umbria with Tuscany, Gascony with Bordeaux, Dão with Douro, or the Sierra Foothills just across the way from market behemoths Napa and Sonoma.
So, how to compete with those neighbors and potentially rebrand without the accidental self-sabotage of placing all eggs into one precariously trendy basket?
Historically for Navarra, that basket has been rosado (rosé). And within the confines of Spain, it’s earned a good reputation. But despite continued growth in the category overall, France dominates the style in the minds of wine drinkers around the world. The numbers bear it out, with over one-third of global pink production now boasting Gallic roots. What’s more, a full one-third of those with a French A.O.C. designation come from that dreamy little sliver of Mediterranean coast, Provence.
Like it or not, Provence is rosé in the current cultural zeitgeist.
Given those circumstances, a push toward red wines is in the works for Navarra, with
