US wholesale wine volume fell 8% in the year through September

Wine volume distributed by US wholesalers fell 8.0% in the 12 months through September 2026, according to SipSource data released by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America. The period ran from October 2025 to September 2026, leaving the category under pressure as the 2026 holiday season approached.^{1 · 2 · 3}

The figures measure wholesale depletions—products leaving distributor warehouses for commercial and hospitality accounts—not purchases by consumers. WSWA said SipSource covers about 70% of wholesale volume across all 50 states, while excluding certain control states under its methodology.^{1 · 2 · 3}

Revenue diverges by wine category

Among wines priced at $9 and above, 12-month revenue rose 8.1% for white blends, 6.4% for Malbec and 4.5% for Sauvignon Blanc. Revenue declined 12.4% for Merlot, 8.7% for Zinfandel and 8.2% for red blends. WSWA did not provide absolute revenue or volume totals for these segments, so the percentages do not show the monetary or physical scale of the changes.^{1 · 2 · 3 · 4}

SipSource also reported that wines priced at $16 and above were performing better than lower-priced products, while wines below $13 remained the category’s largest drag. Analysts attributed the gap between volume and revenue trends at higher price points partly to discounting. The data therefore do not establish that categories with revenue gains also increased their bottle volumes.^{1 · 2 · 3}