What To Sell in a Wine Shop

Red wine used to be a safe bet on any wine shop's shelf — but not anymore.

White wine now outsells red worldwide. Bottles under $12 are moving at their lowest volume in more than a decade. And the tariff on an imported bottle has changed three times in the last eighteen months.

Picking a winning selection in 2026 means buying for a shelf that looks nothing like it did in years past. The bottle that sold itself in 2023 may now be taking up space you can't spare.

Wondering what to sell in your wine shop? Below, we cover the strongest trends shaping wine sales this year, then walk through top bottles worth your shelf space, organized by category so you can spot where your shelf is thin and fill those gaps.

Wine Industry Trends: What To Know Before You Buy

What's worth stocking comes down to more than which varietals are popular. Customer taste, price sensitivity, import costs, and staff expertise all factor in.

Here are the six industry shifts to consider before you buy:

White and sparkling are where the growth is. White outsells red worldwide, and in the fine wine trade, white is up roughly 1,100% since 2010, while red slipped about 15% in 2025. Sauvignon blanc is one of the only varietals still growing in dollar sales, and sparkling is forecasted to grow 7–9% globally. Both need cold storage, so plan your chilled space around them.
Cheap bottles are fading, and so are expensive ones. Wine under $12 hit its lowest volume in over a decade, and bottles between $50–$99 fell 8.8%. On the other hand, the $20–$29 range is one of the few growing because younger customers buy fewer bottles and spend more on each. One good $24 bottle beats two $11 mediocre ones.
Premium bottles protect your margin. 66% of stores named rising costs as their biggest challenge, and 74% of those added more wine instead of cutting prices. Check margins on every SKU and cut your average performers, not your best bottles.
Carrying nonalcoholic (NA) wine no longer makes you stand out. 81% of stores already stock NA beverages, and 78% of those carry NA or low-alcohol wine. Still uncommon are canned mocktails at 44% and functional botanicals at 29%. Most NA customers drink alcohol too, so shelve these beside the real thing.
Import costs keep moving. Tariffs on European wine ran 15–25% for most of 2025; the Supreme Court struck them down in February 2026, and replacement tariffs took effect within days. Imports fell 16.8% by volume in the first half of 2026. Check the current rate with your distributor before a large order, and keep enough domestic wine so the next change in tariffs doesn't reprice half your shelf.
The staff sells the bottle. When most of your wine sits between $15–$30, what moves someone from a $15 pick to a $28 one is an employee who can explain the difference. Top-performing retailers stock fewer wines and train their team to recommend them.

Every store is different, and some of these changes will hit your shelves harder than others. Compare the reports and sales data in your point of sale (POS) system against these trends — your own numbers can tell you which ones are showing up at your register.

What To Sell in a Wine Shop: Top Picks

Looking for popular wines to stock this year? Here are our recommendations across each category and price point. Prices move with promotions and vary by market, so confirm with your distributor before you order.

White Wines: Leading the Category

White is the category doing the most work right now, and these four picks build a ladder from a $19 everyday bottle up to an $80 special occasion pour:

2024 Martín Códax Albariño: This Spanish white features notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, and ripe pear. It's the most widely distributed Albariño in the country, so it's easy to keep in stock. It retails for around $19.
2025 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc: This New Zealand benchmark offers lemongrass, pineapple, and lemon curd with a long finish. Sauvignon blanc is one of the few varietals still growing in dollar sales, and this is the label customers ask for by name. This bottle retails for around $35.
2023 Ramey Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: Fermented with native yeast and bottled unfiltered, this chardonnay has refreshing acidity with stone fruit, ginger, and toasted brioche. It's a dependable premium anchor for your chardonnay set. This retails for around $45.
2022 Clau de Nell Chenin Blanc: This dynamic Loire Chenin ages in used Burgundy barrels and shows peach, verbena, and warm spice. Keep one facing out for the customer who already knows what they want. It retails for around $80.

Pro tip: Since white is gaining share, set up your shelf with a clear beginner row and a step-up row, rather than one long alphabetical run.

Related Read: Liquor Store Design Layout: 7 Creative Ideas

Red Wines: Still the Gift Bottle

Red has lost ground, but it hasn't gone anywhere — it's still what people buy for dinner parties, holidays, and gifts. Stock fewer reds, and make each one count. Here are four worth the shelf space:

2024 Roserock Pinot Noir: Domaine Drouhin's Oregon bottling has notes of lavender, pomegranate, and wild berries over a long floral finish. It's a strong domestic pick to lean on when import pricing gets unpredictable, and it retails between $32 and $42.
2023 Duckhorn Napa Valley Merlot: This 50th anniversary bottling delivers red currant, black plum, and baking spices over fine-grained tannins. Merlot has recovered as a gift bottle, and this is the name people trust. This retails for around $50, ranging from $46 to $58 by retailer.
2023 Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz: Aged in American oak, this Australian blend is deep and ripe with dark chocolate, cherry, and silky tannins. Customers who drink Penfolds will ask for it by bin number. It retails for around $78.
2023 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino: Fermented entirely in foudre with 20% whole clusters, this Malbec is complex and smoky with cherry and plum flavors, along with a soft chalky texture. Make it your top-shelf red for the customer buying something to impress. It retails between $95 and $100.

Pro tip: Check your POS reports to see which styles, regions, and brands of red your customers actually buy, then build your tastings and promotions around those instead of guessing.

Related Read: Wine Marketing Ideas: 9 Strategies To Grow Your Wine Store

Rosé Wines: No Longer Just for Summer

Rosé stopped being a summer-only category, and it sits right in the $20–$29 range that's still growing. It's also the one category where spending more doesn't reliably get you a better bottle. A well-made $20 rosé can taste as good as a $40 one, and it'll move off the shelf faster. Here are five bottles to build that section around:

2025 Marietta Cellars Old Vine Ranch Rosé: This zesty California pink tastes of strawberry, rose petal, and watermelon, finishing on a spicy note. Only 1,000 cases were made, which gives your staff a reason to recommend it before it's gone. It retails for around $19.
2025 Frog's Leap La Grenouille Rouganté: Made from organic, dry-farmed Carignane planted in Mendocino County in 1949, this rosé is dry, floral, and food-friendly. At 12% alcohol, it doubles as a lower-ABV recommendation. It retails for around $22.
2025 Chateau d’Esclans Whispering Angel: This Provence rosé shows pink cherry, peach skin, and cherry blossom, and the 2025 marks the brand's twentieth anniversary vintage. Whether or not it's your personal favorite, carry it because it pulls people into the section. It retails for around $26.
2025 Wölffer Estate Summer in a Bottle: The Long Island bottling offers rose petals and delicate strawberries with a dry, savory finish, and it moves over 60,000 cases a season. Build a display around it and it’ll sell itself. It retails for around $26.
2025 BY.OTT Côtes de Provence Rosé: Made entirely from certified organic vineyards, this Provence rosé has red berries, citrus, and white blossom with a silky mouthfeel. It's a credible step up for the shopper who has outgrown the obvious pick. It retails for around $30.

Pro tips:

Rosé is the one category where customers genuinely care about the vintage because it's meant to be drunk young. Anything more than two years old should be marked down or moved.
Merchandise rosé chilled and year-round. Stores that pack it away after Labor Day give up months of sales.

Sparkling Wines: Growing Fastest

Sparkling is the fastest-growing category on this list because it’s no longer occasion-only. Aperol Spritzes and mimosas pulled bubbles into everyday drinking, which means a customer buying sparkling on a Tuesday isn't unusual anymore. Build a ladder rather than a wall of prosecco.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Brut: This Spanish Cava has wildflower and bitter almond aromas over green apple, pear, and honeysuckle. It's the bottle people reach for when they need something for a party, and it retails for around $12.
La Marca Prosecco: This prosecco has citrus and honeysuckle over crisp green apple and peach with a lightly sweet finish. It's the best-distributed option in the category, so it's easy to keep in stock. It retails for around $19.
Juvé & Camps Reserva de la Familia Gran Reserva Brut Nature: This Gran Reserva Cava shows ripe apple and pear with citrus and toasted bread, and it finishes bone-dry and saline. Cava is premiumizing, and this is the bottle that shows a customer what that means. It retails for around $23.
Roederer Estate Brut: Blended from chardonnay and pinot noir grown in Anderson Valley, this domestic sparkler has pear and spice with a brioche edge and a fine mousse. It retails between $25 and $38, depending on the retailer.
Moët & Chandon Impérial Brut: This Champagne combines apple, pear, and yellow peach with honey, brioche, and fresh nuts over a crisp finish. Keep one on the shelf as your gift and celebration bottle. It retails for around $60.

Pro tip: Sparkling needs cold storage to sell, and it's the category most often left warm on a bottom shelf. Give it chilled facings alongside your white and rosé.

Low-ABV Wines: Built for Moderation

Younger customers are drinking less often and more thoughtfully, which makes lower-alcohol wine one of the easier plays on this list. These are traditional styles that happen to be light:

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde — 9.5% ABV: This Portuguese white is crisp, tart, and faintly sparkling. It's bottled non-vintage, so there's no vintage rollover to manage. It retails for around $10.
2025 Saracco Moscato d'Asti — 6% ABV: This is the lightest real wine you can put on a shelf, gently fizzy with peach and rose petal aromas. Buy the current vintage only, because the style loses its charm with age. It retails for around $19.
Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui — 7% ABV: Lightly sparkling and openly sweet, this one sells alongside dessert and chocolate rather than dinner. It retails for around $22.
2023 Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett — 8% ABV: This Mosel Riesling is precise and food-friendly, and it ages well, which makes it the one wine here where an older vintage is a feature rather than a markdown. It retails for around $22.

Pro tip: Watch your shelf signage. Dry Lambrusco gets recommended constantly as a low-alcohol red, but it actually runs 10.5–11.5%, so it doesn't belong under an "under 10%" sign.

NA Selections: Already Everywhere

Four out of five stores carry NA wine already, so having a section doesn't set you apart. Choosing the right bottles does.

Hand someone a bad NA bottle and you've lost them on the whole category — probably for good. Sparkling and white come closest to the real thing, and reds are the hardest to pull off.

One labeling note on shelf tags: Dealcoholized wine starts as real wine with the alcohol taken out, and it lands under 0.5% rather than at zero, so it isn't alcohol-free.

Here’s where to start:

Giesen 0% Sauvignon Blanc: This is the standout white in the category, with crisp tropical fruit and a dry finish. It's non-vintage and widely distributed, which makes it an easy first NA to face. It retails for around $13.
Leitz Eins Zwei Zero Riesling: Leitz built this to taste like an off-dry German Riesling, and it succeeds better than most. It retails for around $19.
Oddbird Blanc de Blancs: Reach for this when a customer wants something for a celebration rather than a Tuesday. It's the occasion bottle of the NA set. It retails for around $25.
Prima Pavé Blanc de Blancs: This fills your premium sparkling slot, and the packaging holds up next to real Champagne on a gift display. It retails for around $28.
Ariel Cabernet Sauvignon: Ariel is the affordable, widely available NA red from California's Central Coast, and it's the safest entry point for a sober-curious customer. It retails for around $11.
Luminara Napa Chardonnay: Made by Trinchero Family Estates, this brings real Napa weight to a dealcoholized white. It retails for around $16.

Alcohol alternatives never ferment at all, so they aren't wine in any technical sense. Customers still shop for them next to NA wine, and they're worth carrying — just be sure to describe them accurately. Here are a couple of options worth stocking:

Grüvi Dry Secco: Grüvi builds this from carbonated spring water and chardonnay grapes rather than fermenting anything, and it sells well as an everyday sparkling option. It comes only in multipacks of 270mL bottles, so an eight-pack works out to roughly three standard bottles. It retails for around $36 per eight-pack.
Kally Rosé Sparkler: Kally blends chardonnay verjus with botanicals and calls it a sparkling wine alternative, which is an honest description. It retails for around $35.

Pro tips:

Canned mocktails are carried by only 44% of NA-stocking stores, so this is where a small shop can still stand out.
Most NA wines are non-vintage, which is actually an operational win since there’s no vintage rollover to manage and no dated stock to mark down.

FAQs: What To Sell in a Wine Shop

How many wine SKUs should a small shop carry?

When it comes to how many wine SKUs to carry, the answer for most small shops is fewer than you'd think. Retailers outperforming the market carry fewer wines and know each one well enough to describe and recommend it. If nobody on your team can explain a bottle without reading the label, it's taking up space. Pull a slow-mover report and review anything that hasn't sold in 90 days.

How much of my wine shelf should be white versus red?

There's no universal split for white versus red, and your own sales data beats any benchmark. What matters is that most shops built their layout when red outsold white, and white has since passed it. If your white section is smaller than your red, but white is selling faster, your shelf is working against you.

Should I discount slow-moving wine or hold the price?

Before you discount slow-moving wine, work out why it's slow. A bottle customers don't recognize needs a shelf talker, not a markdown. A bottle priced above what your market pays needs to move, and sooner is cheaper than later. Set a 60- or 90-day review point so the call happens on schedule instead of when you notice dust.

Do I need refrigerated space for wine?

You need refrigerated space for white, rosé, sparkling, and NA wine — these four categories are where the growth is, and all of them sell better cold. You don't need a walk-in. You do need enough chilled facings that a customer can grab a cold bottle of each without asking.

Keep Track of Customer Preferences With Bottle POS

This list is a starting point. Your customers decide the rest.

Rather than going on instinct, let your POS tell you what's moving. Bottle POS' auto ranking combines your sales data with AI to sort and rank your bestsellers, so you know which bottles have earned another order and which are just taking up space.

Build and price your system in a couple of minutes and see what the right setup costs your store.