U.S. wine sales fell 3.8% over four weeks, extending a retail slump.

U.S. wine sales remained under pressure in the latest four-week retail period, even as the category posted a small improvement from one week to the next, according to NielsenIQ’s August 2026 Wine Pulse report covering the four weeks ended Aug. 8.

NielsenIQ said total wine dollar sales fell 3.8% in the period, while volume declined 5.1%, extending a weak trend for the category. The research firm said the downturn was driven mainly by softer consumer demand, which accounted for 65% of the decline. Reduced distribution represented 23% of the weakness, and less effective promotions made up 12%.

The weekly picture was slightly better. NielsenIQ said wine sales reached $365.0 million in the most recent week, up 0.4% from the prior week. Even with that increase, the firm described the broader market as operating in an environment of muted momentum.

Still wine remained the main source of pressure on the category. In the four weeks ended Aug. 8, still wine dollar sales dropped 4.5% and volume fell 5.6%. That performance weighed on overall wine results and showed that the largest part of the business is still losing ground in both value and units sold.

Sparkling wine held up better than the rest of the market. NielsenIQ reported that sparkling wine dollar sales slipped just 0.1%, while volume declined 0.4%. The numbers suggest that sparkling continued to show more resilience than still wine, building on a stronger recent performance even though it was not fully back to growth in the latest period.

Non-alcoholic wine again stood out as the fastest-growing segment in the category, though from a much smaller base. NielsenIQ said dollar sales for non-alcoholic wine rose 16.9% and volume increased 13.3% in the four-week period. The report said the segment continued to provide one of the few clear growth points in wine, but its overall contribution to total category sales remained limited because of its size.

Among manufacturers, E. & J. Gallo stayed in the top position by dollar sales despite a decline. NielsenIQ said Gallo’s dollar sales were down 2.5%, with case sales down 99,100. The Wine Group ranked second, but posted a steeper decline, with dollar sales down 10.8% and case sales off 262,300. Deutsch Family ranked third and was one of the few large suppliers to post growth, with dollar sales up 4.6% and case sales up 21,500.

Trinchero Family ranked fourth, with dollar sales down 3.1% and case sales down 28,400. Delicato Family Wines ranked fifth, with dollar sales down 5.1% and case sales down 43,000. The results show that several of the largest suppliers are still losing ground as the category contracts, while a smaller group of companies is gaining share through selective growth.

Deutsch Family also led the list of top manufacturers by dollar growth. NielsenIQ said Constellation followed with dollar sales up 2.2% and case sales up 6,800. Duckhorn Wine Company posted 1.9% dollar growth and an increase of 1,800 cases. Wagner Family Wines recorded 3.0% dollar growth with case sales up 1,900. Kobrand rounded out the top five growth manufacturers with dollar sales up 2.8%, even though its case sales were down by 938, indicating price and mix gains rather than unit expansion.

At the brand level, Josh held the top spot by dollar sales and was also one of the strongest performers among leading labels. NielsenIQ said Josh posted 9.4% dollar growth and gained 41,100 cases in the period. Barefoot ranked second by dollars. Its dollar sales were down 2.5%, but case sales rose by 20,600, suggesting that pricing or product mix played a role in the weaker revenue result.

Bota ranked third by dollar sales, with revenue down 4.5% and case sales down 33,800. Sutter Home ranked fourth, with dollar sales down 3.7% and case sales down 22,500. LaMarca ranked fifth by dollar sales and showed stronger momentum, with dollar sales up 13.0% and case sales up 20,600.

Josh also led the ranking of brands by dollar growth, followed by LaMarca. Whitehaven posted 19.6% dollar growth and added 7,400 cases. Clay Creek recorded the fastest dollar growth rate among the brands listed, rising 79.7% with case gains of 11,700. Bread & Butter also posted a strong increase, with dollar sales up 15.2% and case sales up 12,400.

The NielsenIQ report was based on its retail measurement data for the four weeks ended Aug. 8 and covered total wine excluding wine-based cocktails. The figures point to a market where broad category demand remains weak, still wine continues to drag on results, and growth is concentrated in a narrower set of suppliers, brands and segments such as sparkling and non-alcoholic wine.