How ‘Chicken Wine’ became a Gen Z favourite brand, teaching us a masterclass in cultural fluency

Author: Sarah Dridje, Campaign Manager, The Goat Agency

If you had told my younger French self that a classic French wine brand would one day collaborate with KFC and Dash Water, I would have politely offered you a glass of water and suggested a lie-down.

When I first joined Goat, my manager sent me a Slack message asking to grab her notepad from a bag containing “some Chicken Wine.” As a proud French person, my brain immediately short-circuited: Oh dear. Has the UK finally taken its disrespect of our centuries-old, prestigious wine heritage too far?

Fast forward to today: La Vieille Ferme (aka ‘Chicken Wine’) isn’t just a staple in my household; it’s an essential. Move over Echo Falls... the poultry has taken over the pantry.

How did a modest £8.50 bottle of pale rosé from the Rhône Valley conquer a heavily saturated, declining wine market? It didn’t rely on traditional wine critics or fancy sommelier notes. It relied on organic social discovery and audience responsiveness.

Here is what happens when algorithm luck meets genius brand strategy:

• The TikTok virality effect: Struggling to pronounce La Vieille Ferme, Gen Z and Millennial creators on TikTok organically rebranded it “Chicken Wine” after the rooster and hen on the label. Clips under #chickenwine racked up millions of views and triggered massive user-generated content (UGC).

• 51% YoY sales surge: While traditional wine sales struggled globally, La Vieille Ferme defied category trends. In the UK off-trade market, sales reached a staggering £190.3 million, moving roughly 14 million bottles in a single year.

• One bottle every 5 seconds: At peak hype, a bottle of “Chicken Wine” was sold in the UK every 5 seconds, with major retailers like Sainsbury’s reporting an unprecedented 96% sales spike.

• The copycat indicator: You know you’ve hit cultural icon status when discount giants take notice. Aldi promptly released its own dupe named ‘Le Petit Poulet’ (‘The Little Chicken’), proving that imitation remains the ultimate metric of market disruption.

The golden rule of modern brand strategy? Your brand isn’t what you say it is; it’s what your audience says it is.

Famille Perrin (the winemakers behind La Vieille Ferme) could have turned up their noses at their products being dubbed “poultry juice”, but instead they executed a masterclass in cultural listening and embraced it.

In 2024, they temporarily stripped their traditional French branding from bottles across major supermarkets and replaced it with bold letters reading simply: “The Chicken Wine”.

By refusing to act “above” their consumers, they triggered a secondary wave of organic social engagement as fans hunted down these limited-edition bottles like collectible trainers.

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When a brand masters its identity, cross-category collaborations stop feeling like forced PR stunts and start feeling like cultural events.

Two iconic brands joined forces for an August Bank Holiday four-day pop-up in Shoreditch, bringing fried chicken and rosé pairing to the masses.

“We’re iconic fried chicken. They’re the iconic Chicken Wine. Coq au Vin is one of those partnerships that just makes sense – and frankly, we can’t believe it’s taken this long. This August bank holiday, it’s poulet all day!”
Phoebe Syms, Fame & Partnerships Lead at KFC UK & Ireland

Why it worked: It democratised the pretentious concept of “wine pairing” and reframed it as an accessible, high-low dining experience for Gen Z.

Riding the massive wave of the low-and-no/lighter-serve alcohol trend, Dash partnered with Chicken Wine to launch a limited-edition Rose Spritz Kit. They even commissioned designer Issy Granger to craft a bespoke, aesthetic spritz glass in hues of peach and soft pink.

“This pairing felt like one of these ideas that was hiding in plain sight.”
Alex Wright, Co-Founder of Dash Water

Why it worked: It expanded the wine’s consumption occasion into afternoon garden parties and summer aesthetic content, meeting the audience’s appetite for lighter, social-first drinks.

1. Self-deprecation is premium currency: In a world of hyper-polished corporate speak, self-awareness builds rapid brand equity. Unpretentious wins every time.

2. Lower the barrier to entry: If your brand name is hard to pronounce or your category feels intimidating, find an entry point that feels frictionless for social commerce.

3. If the audience crosses the road, follow them (Pun intended): When your audience hands you a nickname or a meme, don’t correct them, monetise it.

PS: Word on the street is supermarket shelves are stocking this rose gold liquid for around £5 this week… run, don’t walk!

PPS: Rumours are floating around about an official Chicken Wine BuzzBall… though that one might just be a delayed April Fool’s joke!

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