U.S. Wine Sales Fell in Late April

Wine sales in the United States weakened in the four weeks ending April 18, according to NielsenIQ data, as the category lost the stability it had shown earlier in the spring. Dollar sales fell 4.9% from a year earlier to $354.8 million in the latest four-week period, while case volume declined 6.1%. On a weekly basis, sales slipped to $354.8 million from $373.9 million the week before, a 5.1% drop that suggested momentum had faded by mid-April.

The broader alcohol market also remained under pressure. Total alcohol sales were down 2.9% from a year earlier at $8.1 billion over the same four-week period, with case volume off 3.3% to 157.2 million cases. Prepared cocktails were the only major category still growing, with dollar sales up 4.4%, while spirits fell 6%, beer declined 2%, and wine posted one of the sharper losses among traditional categories.

Within wine, still wine accounted for most of the weakness. Dollar sales for still wine fell 5.7% and volume dropped 6.7% in the four weeks ending April 18. Sparkling wine was nearly flat, with dollar sales down just 0.1% and volume up 0.3%. Nonalcoholic wine continued to grow faster than the rest of the category, rising 15.8% in dollar sales and 11% in volume, a sign that moderation-oriented products are still drawing consumer interest even as conventional wine slows.

The slowdown was visible across major producers and brands. Gallo, the largest wine manufacturer by dollar sales, saw sales fall 4% and case volume decline by 209,100 cases from a year earlier. The Wine Group posted a steeper drop, with dollar sales down 10.7% and volume off by 243,900 cases. Among brands with the highest dollar sales, Josh rose 4.7%, while Barefoot fell 6.1%, Sutter Home declined 4.6%, Bota dropped 5.9%, and LaMarca increased 12.8%.

Some smaller labels continued to post stronger gains. LaMarca led growth among brands by dollar sales increase, followed by Josh, Art of the Cooper, Whitehaven and La Vieille Ferme. Duckhorn Wine Company led manufacturers by dollar growth, followed by Deutsch Family, Vineyard Brands, Kobrand and Constellation.

The weakness was not limited to product mix. NielsenIQ said Massachusetts was the weakest of the major states it tracks, with dollar sales down 7.9%, while Florida also remained under pressure at minus 4.8%. Ohio was the only key state to show growth, with dollar sales up 1.8%. In volume terms, Ohio edged up 0.2%, while Massachusetts recorded the steepest decline at 7.1%.

Channel trends pointed in the same direction. Mass merchandise was the only retail channel to post growth in wine sales, up 0.7%. Liquor stores fell 5.1%, clubs declined 3.5%, convenience stores dropped 2.5%, food stores were down 1%, and other channels slipped 2.7%. Volume trends were similarly soft, with convenience stores down 4.8% and liquor stores off 4.5%.

The data suggest that wine entered late April facing a more difficult consumer environment than it had earlier in the season, with gains in nonalcoholic products and sparkling wine not enough to offset broader declines in still wine and weaker performance across most retail channels and states.