What Lyonel Liger does

The Centre de Recherche et d'Expérimentation sur le Vin Rosé (Le Centre du Rosé), founded in 1999 and headquartered in Vidauban, Var, France, is the only research center in the world exclusively dedicated to rosé wines. Operating as a non-profit association under French law of 1901, it is structured around three governing pillars — the Chamber of Agriculture du Var, the Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV), and the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP) — and serves the Provence rosé wine sector through scientific research, technical references, and quality benchmarks. Its core infrastructure comprises three integrated facilities: an Experimental Cellar where vinification equipment is miniaturized to 1/100th of conventional scale, enabling 250 pilot rosé wines per year; an Analysis Laboratory equipped with a FOSS Winescan FTIR analyzer measuring over twenty oenological parameters simultaneously (alcohol, sugars, organic acids, sulfur dioxide); and a Sensory Analysis Room with 21 tasting stations hosting 60 annual tastings across expert, professional, and consumer juries. The Center also produces proprietary Nuancier color reference tools for rosé wine classification and publishes the semi-annual scientific magazine Rosé & Recherche.

The Center's business model is a hybrid funding structure rather than a commercial revenue model: approximately 50% of its annual budget (≈€400K as of 2019) comes from professional contributions including CIVP funding and member fees, 40% (≈€320K) from public subsidies including FranceAgrimer, Région Sud PACA, Département du Var, and FEADER European funds, and 10% (≈€80K) from private partnerships and services with companies such as Bucher, Lallemand, Diam Bouchage, FOSS, and Kedge Business School. Total annual budget is approximately €800K supporting 9 staff and 12 annual trainees. Its go-to-market operates through industry-association channels, distributing research via scientific publications, training in specialized schools, technical publications through rosée.com and CIVP magazine, and industry events such as the Soirée du Rosé and Climat Tour, targeting a broad professional audience of rosé wine growers, cooperatives, appellation bodies, and corporate technology partners across the Provence wine-growing territory.

Name

Lyonel Liger

Legal name

Centre de Recherche et d'Expérimentation sur le Vin Rosé

Website

https://centredurose.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le Centre du Rosé, founded in 1999 in Vidauban, France, is the world's only research center exclusively dedicated to rosé wines, operating an experimental cellar, FTIR analysis laboratory, and sensory analysis room to serve Provence rosé wine producers and interprofessional organizations with scientific research, technical references, and innovation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Research and Experimentation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Wineries (312130)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wine & Sparkling Wine Wineries & Brands (CRADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Grape Vineyard Operations (Varietal/AVA Practices, Yield & Quality Targets) (AFAGAJAJ), Beverage & Mixology (Coffee, Tea, Wine, Cocktails) (EDAAAGAH)

Keywords

• Rosé wine research
• Oenological experimentation
• Wine sensory analysis
• Viticulture research
• Wine colorimetry tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Les Angles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Membership Contributions: 50% of annual budget (approximately €400,000 as of 2019) comes from professional funds, including contributions from CIVP, Chamber of Agriculture of the Var, and membership fees from industry members.
2. Public Subsidies and Grants: 40% of annual budget (approximately €320,000 as of 2019) comes from subsidies including FranceAgrimer, Regional Council of PACA, Departmental Council of the Var, and European funding.
3. Private Partnership Services: 10% of annual budget (approximately €80,000 as of 2019) comes from services and private partnerships with companies including Bucher, Lallemand, Diam Bouchage, FOSS, Kedge Business School, and others.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Centre du Rosé operates a unique research and experimentation facility dedicated exclusively to rosé wines, providing scientific experimentation, pilot-scale vinification, analytical chemistry, and sensory evaluation services to Provence wine growers. It also produces and sells proprietary color reference tools (nuanciers) for the rosé wine industry and publishes the semi-annual scientific magazine Rosé & Recherche.

Product overview

Le Centre du Rosé operates as a dedicated research and experimentation center for rosé wine, functioning as an association under the French law of 1901. The organization is structured around three pillars: the Chamber of Agriculture college, the Technical college (Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin), and the Sector college (interprofessional organizations). Its core offerings consist of three integrated laboratory and research facilities—a miniaturized experimental cellar enabling pilot-scale vinification, an analysis laboratory equipped with advanced spectroscopic instruments, and a sensory analysis room conducting approximately 60 tastings annually. Complementary to these technical facilities, the center produces standardized color reference tools (nuanciers) for the rosé wine industry and publishes the semi-annual Rosé & Recherche scientific magazine. The center also operates an incubator program that fosters collaborative innovation projects between researchers and private industry partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rosé & Recherche: The center's semi-annual scientific magazine featuring research programs, experimental results, and sector news.

Products and services

• Experimental Cellar (Cave Expérimentale) Research Services A miniaturized vinification facility where equipment (crusher, press, filter, vats) is scaled to approximately 1/100th of conventional units, enabling faithful reproduction of production conditions for rigorous experimental research on rosé winemaking. Produces approximately 250 rosé wine specimens per year corresponding to different research projects, for wine growers, appellations, and partner organizations.
• Analysis Laboratory Services Laboratory service performing over 20 oenological parameter analyses simultaneously using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (Winescan from FOSS), including ethanol, sugars, organic acids, free and total sulfur dioxide at each stage of vinification. Has performed 24,912 analyses to date, serving wine producers and research programs.
• Sensory Analysis Services Central tasting room with 21 stations that operates approximately 60 tastings per year, shared across three complementary juries (expert jury, professional jury, and consumer panel), using tablet-based simultaneous answer registration. Service for wine growers, partners, and quality benchmarking programs.
• Nuanciers des Vins Rosés (Rosé Wine Color Charts) Standardized color reference tools for rosé wines including boxed sets (coffrets), paper charts, gel tube charts, and palette charts. Developed using spectrophotometry, colorimetry analyses, and statistical sorting methods (analysis of variance and hierarchical classification) with vocabulary defined by consensus of technicians and expert juries. Sold to wine producers, sommeliers, and trade professionals.
• Coffret Nuanciers (Color Chart Boxed Set) A boxed set containing 14 representative color names of the rosé wine world (Sable, Nacre, Litchi, Pomelo, Framboise, Pêche, Saumon, Melon, Abricot, Mangue, Corail, Groseille, Cerise, Grenat) used as professional color reference tools for categorizing rosé wines.
• Rosé & Recherche Scientific Magazine Semi-annual scientific magazine publishing research findings, experimental results, technical innovations, and sector news on rosé wine. Covers topics including climate change adaptation, oenological innovations, and varietal experimentation. Issue #11 was published July 2026. Distributed to wine sector professionals and partner organizations.
• Incubateur (Business Incubator Program) Incubator program that creates collaborative research projects with private industry partners including Bucher, Groupe Chalvignac, Diam Bouchage, FOSS, and Lallemand for innovation in the wine sector. Connects researchers with industry needs for applied rosé wine innovation.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Centre du Rosé cellar creates 250 rosé wines per year corresponding to different research projects.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• GRDFminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2023Signatory of the 'Inter Vignes' convention for valorizing space between vine rows to produce green gas (biomethane). Intercropping of fava beans and oats with biomass to be valorized through methanization, benefiting vines and wine quality.
• Tenea EnergiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2023Signatory of 'Inter Vignes' convention with GRDF, Vignerons de la Sainte Victoire, Chambre régionale d'agriculture Paca, IFV, and the Centre du Rosé for green gas production from vineyard intercropping.
• Société du Canal de ProvencemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Signed 'Objectif Rosé' convention in 2022 for experimental program following a network of plots in Provençal vineyards, measuring water stress, using water at the right dose and at the right time. Research continues through to vinification and rosé wine quality verification.
• Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three founding pillars of the Centre du Rosé association. IFV provides technical expertise in viticulture and œnology, contributes staff (including Aurélie Camponovo as Manager, Stéphane Miroufe as Techno Manager), and conducts joint research projects including the VITILIENCE climate resilience network and the ADAM demonstrator project.
• Chambre d'agriculture du VarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the three founding pillars of the Centre du Rosé association. Represents the Chamber of Agriculture college within the organization's governance structure.
• Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey professional member representing the interprofessional interests of Provence wines. Co-funder of the first research chair on rosé wines with KEDGE Business School and Caisse d'Épargne Côte d'Azur. Main financial contributor at 50% of the Centre's annual budget.
• Bucher VaslinmajorTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for winery equipment research. Studies conducted on inerting and automation of pressing, adapting standard winery equipment to pilot scale and mini vinifications. Focus areas include grape reception, crushing/destemming, and customization of pneumatic press with inline measurement during pressing.
• Groupe Chalvignac (Metalinox)majorTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for developing prototypes of highly equipped experimental tanks. Objective: to master energy consumption related to rosé winemaking. Part of the ENVIPROV project funded by France Relance plan, Region Sud, and department of Var.
• Visea-CouturiermajorTechnology or IntegrationCo-developer of experimental tank prototypes with Groupe Chalvignac, focused on winery installation and equipment for the experimental cellar of the Centre du Rosé.
• Diam BouchageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner conducting experiments on rosé wine conservation, developing controlled-permeability cork closures. Multiple publications issued (including Revue des Œnologues, November 2019), webinars, and conferences.
• FOSSmajorTechnology or IntegrationLaboratory automation partner providing the Winescan FTIR analyzer acquired in Spring 2020. Enables simultaneous analysis of over twenty œnological parameters including ethanol, sugars, organic acids, and sulfur dioxide. Supports statistical treatment of experimental data feeding a unique database on rosé wines of Provence, France, and the world.
• KEDGE Business SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the first research chair on rosé wines, launched with CIVP and Caisse d'Épargne Côte d'Azur. Multidisciplinary research program defined around 3 axes: consumer study, colorimetry study, and neuro-œnological study. Funded by CIVL, Région Sud, Var and Bouches-du-Rhône departments, and Caisse d'Épargne Côte d'Azur.
• MycophytominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-leads the Mycovigne project studying symbiosis between Grenache grape plants and local terroir fungi. Research objective: mycorrhization of vines (fungi-root symbioses) as a solution for climate change adaptation. Complementary partnership with Crédit Agricole and Château Ste Roseline.
• INRAE (Institut national de recherche pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner providing research expertise. Martin Pardon (INRAE UMR EGFV) presents climate change impact projections for Provençal viticulture at 2050 horizon. Supports scientific council of the Centre du Rosé.
• Cluster Provence RoséminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional cluster partner supporting the rosé wine ecosystem. Listed among technical partners of the Centre du Rosé.
• Syndicat des Côtes de ProvencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAppellation union as professional member and founding pillar. Participates in the ADAM demonstrator project and shares results at the Climat Tour events.
• Chambre d'agriculture du VarmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenter of the ADAM demonstrator project results with the Centre du Rosé, IFV, Syndicat des Côtes de Provence, and CIVP at the Climat Tour.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Bucher Vaslin: Winery equipment manufacturer and incubator partner of the Centre du Rosé, co-developing pilot-scale pneumatic press technology and tank prototypes. An enabling technology partner whose R&D overlap with the Centre makes it a relevant peer for innovation ecosystem comparison.
• Lallemand: Biotechnology supplier and incubator partner of the Centre du Rosé, co-developing a Provence-origin yeast strain for rosé wines. While primarily a commercial biotech supplier, its R&D collaboration model intersects with the Centre's innovation mandate.

Emerging players

• Nyseos: Technical partner of the Centre du Rosé specializing in wine analysis and laboratory services. Offers comparable analytical capabilities in the Provençal wine ecosystem, serving as both a partner and a niche commercial competitor for analytical services.

Direct peers

• Institut Œnologique de Champagne (IOC): Partner of the Centre du Rosé and similar research organization focused on Champagne wines, providing experimentation with oenological products and technical references. Comparable in its single-category research focus and laboratory-based innovation model.
• Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin (IFV): France's national institute for vine and wine research, one of the three founding pillars of the Centre du Rosé. Operates experimental facilities, technical expertise, and joint research projects (VITILIENCE, ADAM) — directly comparable in mission and methodology, though broader in scope.
• Inter Rhône: Interprofessional body for Rhône Valley wines conducting technical research, vineyard trials, and producer support. Closely comparable to the Centre du Rosé in its regional research-and-technical-support model for a specific French wine terroir.

Regional players

• Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI): Leading wine research organization in Australia, conducting scientific research, industry support, and analytical services for the Australian wine sector. Comparable in mission and methodology to the Centre du Rosé, but focused on a different wine-growing geography.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment — a scientific partner of the Centre du Rosé via the scientific council. Provides climate-change expertise and broader agricultural research context relevant to the Centre's viticulture programs.
• Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP): Provence wine industry body and the Centre's largest financial contributor (50% of budget). While not a pure research peer, its governing and funding role makes it structurally comparable to similar interprofessional bodies supporting other French wine regions.
• Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC): Champagne's interprofessional council — a larger, more established analog of CIVP for Provence. Funds and operates significant R&D for the Champagne industry, providing a benchmark for how a regional interprofessional body can scale research investment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Lyonel Liger