The decline in U.S. wine and spirits sales eased for a third straight month in June.

U.S. wine and spirits sales remained below last year’s levels in the second quarter, but the rate of decline eased for a third straight month through June, according to new SipSource data released Aug. 12 by the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America in Washington.

The trade group said combined rolling 12-month volume for wine and spirits was down 6.5% through June, an improvement from a 6.9% decline in May and a 7.1% decline in April. Combined revenue also improved, falling 5.5% through June after declines of 5.9% in May and 6.1% in April. The latest three-month figures were better than the rolling 12-month results, a sign that the downturn moderated as the industry moved into the second half of the year.

The data do not show a return to growth, and WSWA said the market remains under pressure across all major measures. Still, the group said the pace of decline has slowed and that distribution trends and stronger restaurant and bar performance point to a market that is becoming more stable after a weaker stretch in late 2025 and early 2026.

“These data tell a story of a market finding greater stability, not one that has turned a corner just yet,” Francis Creighton, WSWA’s president and chief executive, said in a statement. He said the decline has not reversed, but it is slowing, and that better on-premise performance is helping the market find a more sustainable footing.

One of the clearest patterns in the quarter was the gap between on-premise and off-premise sales. On-premise volume, which covers bars and restaurants, declined 2.5% over the rolling 12 months, compared with a 7.3% drop in off-premise channels such as liquor stores and other retail outlets. In wine, on-premise revenue was nearly flat, down 1.0%, while retail revenue fell 5.5%. In spirits, on-premise revenue fell 3.6%, compared with a 6.7% decline off-premise.

That difference matters because off-premise outlets still account for about 73% of combined wine and spirits points of distribution in the data. The result is that stronger restaurant and bar sales alone are not enough to turn the broader market around. A wider recovery would still depend on improved retail demand, which remains weak.

Wine and spirits continued to move on different tracks, although both categories improved modestly during the quarter. Spirits were more resilient on volume, down 4.9% over the rolling 12 months, while wine volume fell 8.2%. Spirits now account for about 51% of combined volume in the aggregated depletion database. Wine performed better on revenue, however, with a 4.6% decline compared with a 6.1% decline for spirits. Even so, spirits still generate nearly two-thirds of combined category revenue.

Distribution data also pointed to some stabilization. Wine points of distribution were down 3.3%, better than the 3.8% decline reported at the end of 2025. Spirits points of distribution were down 2.2%, which WSWA said was a 120-basis-point improvement since January. Total accounts sold, a measure of the number of retail and on-premise locations being serviced by wholesalers nationally, fell 0.4%. Off-premise accounts sold rose 0.9%.

Within wine, the strongest areas were imported products, especially from Italy and France, along with Champagne, sparkling wine, white table wine, and alternative package formats. In spirits, WSWA said unflavored vodka and tequila añejo showed measurable improvement. Revenue declines for tequila añejo narrowed from 15.6% over the trailing 12 months to 6.6% over the latest three months.

The data also suggest the recent improvement was not limited to one age group. WSWA said June was the first month in 2026 in which all three major consumer groups it tracks, ages 21 to 39, 40 to 59, and 60 and older, posted positive revenue growth in both wine and spirits. The group cautioned that one month is not enough to confirm a broader shift in consumer behavior, but it said the result could indicate that the moderation is spreading across the market.

Regional performance remained uneven. For wine, the Pacific, South Central, Northeast, and South Atlantic divisions outperformed the national trend. For spirits, the Northeast, Pacific, and South Atlantic divisions led. That pattern suggested demand is stabilizing at different speeds across the country rather than improving in a uniform way.

WSWA said the second-quarter figures should not be read as a full trend reversal. The group noted that rolling volume declines were close to 5.2% in late summer 2025 before worsening through the second half of the year and into early 2026. June’s results therefore mark an improvement from the weakest point in the cycle, but not a return to prior-year performance.

The group said third-quarter results could show further modest improvement in part because year-over-year comparisons will become easier. It also said a more durable recovery would depend on stronger off-premise demand and better consumer confidence, two factors that continue to weigh on the business.

SipSource is WSWA’s market intelligence platform and uses wholesaler-reported depletion data and inventory analytics from across the United States. WSWA said the platform covers 70% of wholesale volume in all 50 states through data supplied by its members. The association represents the wholesale tier of the industry and says its member companies distribute more than 80% of all wine and spirits sold in the United States.