Wine and spirits sales declines ease as holiday season begins

Data points toward stabilization

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) released its SipSource 2026 holiday outlook on October 28. According to the available summary, declines in wine and spirits sales are easing as the industry enters the holiday season.

The outlook is based on depletion data reported directly by wholesalers. SipSource uses those reported figures to assess changes in the sales performance of wine and spirits. Based on the information provided, the central finding is not a return to sales growth, but a moderation in the pace of the earlier decline.

A shift that requires cautious interpretation

The description of sales as steadying suggests that the negative trend is becoming less pronounced. It does not, by itself, establish that the market has moved into growth. The excerpt states only that declines in wine and spirits sales are easing at the beginning of the holiday period.

No percentage changes, sales volumes or revenue figures are included in the supplied material. It also remains unclear whether wine and spirits are improving at the same rate, or whether results differ among individual product categories, price segments or markets.

Limited detail on the outlook

The source material does not specify the exact length of the period analyzed, the number of wholesalers contributing data, the geographic coverage or the forecasting methodology. It also does not indicate what WSWA expects during the later stages of the holiday season.

The finding should therefore be read primarily as a directional signal. Wholesaler-reported data indicate that the contraction is slowing, but further information would be required to determine whether this represents a broader or lasting market recovery. The available excerpt also offers no separate outlook for particular wine styles, spirits categories or sales channels.

The original report was published by Wine Industry Advisor.