Every bottle of Dame Essence comes with a story worth pouring over.

Dame Essence introduces a wine that’s ‘Made in France, Born in England’, where The Dame’s legend is printed on every bottle, making storytelling part of the pour.

Dame Essence today unveils its debut rosé, introducing a brand where storytelling is not an afterthought, but part of the pour. A Provence Rosé, rooted in British traditions, A fresh, light and vibrant rosé that marries French winemaking expertise and Riviera style, with British charm and cheekiness.

The entire brand is centred around the entirely fictional Lady Rose Petrole, a British aristocrat known as ‘The Dame of Provence’ (The Dame for short), who fled England to start a new life in the Côte d’Azur. The founder, Gabriel Lindsay, says “The Dame is an amalgamation of the fabulous women I have met throughout my life. He says  “…she’s your naughty auntie with a twinkle in her eye, your eccentric godmother who never arrives without a bottle in hand, your grandmother who still insists lunch is a full-day event at 93. Familiar, ridiculous, outrageous, and entirely unforgettable.”

The story is so integral to the brand, that it’s printed on every single bottle:

“According to legend, Lady Rose Petrole fled her stately home in the British countryside for the sunnier climes of the Côte d'Azur, aiming to focus her attentions on the things that truly matter: wearing exceptionally large hats, keeping fantastic company, and drinking excellent wine. She became somewhat legendary, known affectionately to her friends as The Dame of Provence, due to her outlandish parties and zest for life.”

The wine is positioned as being ‘Made in France, Born in England’, and plays in the space between Provençal tradition and British wit. Even the name, “Dame Essence”, is a linguistic inside joke: literally meaning “lady petrol” in French, but not grammatically translating whatsoever, which Gabriel goes on to say “is kind of the point… This isn’t a wine made for the French market… this is a delicious Provence rosé with a very British sensibility, where a good innuendo, a cheeky wink, and a mischievous backstory are part of the fun…” he goes on “Dame Essence takes the long-standing British nickname for rosé, layers in a British sense of humour and storytelling, and pairs it with serious winemaking. The result is something that turns a bottle into an afternoon.”

The brand’s dual cultural lens, French provenance and British irreverence, gives them permission to break from tradition without losing a sense of craft. Classic winemaking cues are honoured, but without the culture restraints. This freedom is expressed visually in details like the electric blue foil capsule, and blue accents on the bottle; a deliberate departure from the muted codes typically associated with Provence rosé. Gabriel adds “Even something as basic as adding ice to rosé can still raise eyebrows in traditional French wine culture. But on the Riviera, where British and French sensibilities mix freely, those old rules don’t matter as much, and new habits, like the Rosé Piscine, just make sense… that’s who this wine is made for, those who respect the craft, but do things their own way.”

By printing The Dame’s story directly onto every bottle, Dame Essence challenges the traditional separation between product and narrative. Instead, it treats the wine as a living character, an aspirational figure you can embody whilst drinking the wine, and that arrives at the table already mid-conversation. Dame Essence launches in the UK, with further cultural and hospitality activations planned across experiential dining and contemporary luxury spaces.