Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), Washington, D.C., launched the SipSource 2025 Q2 Report, providing a complete have a look at U.S. wine and spirits depletion traits by means of the primary half of the 12 months. Knowledge within the report underscores ongoing class challenges, evolving shopper behaviors, and areas of cautious optimism because the business navigates persistent macroeconomic and market headwinds.
“Shopper confidence proper now’s fragile, and continued commerce volatility together with considerations over tariffs and provide chain instability is including to the strain going through the business,” mentioned SipSource analyst Dale Stratton in an announcement. “These components are shaping buying patterns, slowing restoration, and forcing business stakeholders, everybody from producers to importers to wholesalers and retailers, to rethink stock, pricing and promotional methods.”
Demand remained comfortable throughout classes within the first half of the 12 months with spirits falling 6% in quantity and down 5% in income, whereas wine posted sharper drops of -8.7% in quantity and -8.5% in income. On a rolling 12-month foundation, spirits dropped a extra modest, however vital -4.1% and -3.8% in quantity/income traits, and wine is down -7.2% and -6.6% in quantity/income traits.
In June 2025, wine’s sustained downturn reached its 52nd consecutive month of damaging quantity progress. Declines in premiumization and distribution stay a priority, notably in on-premise channels the place native purveyors proceed to optimize wine lists and prioritize money movement over massive picks and inventories. Eating, which accounts for greater than half (56%) of wine income and 58% of Wine Factors of Distribution (PODs) is down -7.2% and -7%, respectively. Prosecco and Champagne are notable exceptions, displaying modest to sturdy progress mid-year.
After a number of months of quantity progress outpacing income, premiumization traits are re-emerging in key classes. Income declines at the moment are constantly much less extreme than quantity declines, notably in premium-plus worth tiers, the affiliation says. Whereas total spirits efficiency stays damaging, tequila/agave spirits stay a shiny spot, up 1.1% in quantity and up 0.7% in income within the newest 12-month rolling knowledge.
The ready-to-drink (RTD) progress has begun to gradual however stays a web driver of class progress.
“The RTD class continues to be a web progress driver, albeit at decrease charges than in recent times,” mentioned SipSource Analyst Danny Brager in an announcement. “And in response to different business knowledge units like NIQ scans, we’ve seen a centered shift away from malt-based drinks to spirits-based ready-to-drinks.”
Based on NIQ knowledge, through the first six months of 2025, the entire RTD class is up 1.7% in income however down 3.2% in quantity. Whereas total progress is slowing, spirits-based RTDs have been up 19.6%, with wine-based up 12.4% and malt-based merchandise down 0.8%.
