Leaving behind 2025 and heading into the new year, we caught up with retailers about the trends they expect to see in 2026

Intentionality

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact consumer spending and the price of alcohol creeps up, retailers noted a growing sense of intentionality behind spending choices.

Reflecting on 2025, Emily Silva, head of retail & marketing at The Oxford Wine Company, said: “Ultimately, it has boiled down to consumers being more intentional in how they spend their money on drink.”

According to Silva, this mindset was reflected in the “less but better” trend – a shift also noted by numerous other retailers. However, Silva said a growing sense of intentionality also impacted the kind of shopping experience that consumers wanted, with more drawn to supporting local businesses and “the experiential side of shopping”.

This year, multiple retailers said they expect to see a more considered approach from consumers, with a focus on seeking value and quality. On this, Graeme Woodward, co-founder of Oxford indie Grape Minds, said: “Customers want to feel like they are getting value. That doesn’t always mean downtrading, they just want to know that their money is being well spent.”

Linking intentionality to premiumisation, Freddie Cobb, head of drinks buying at Vagabond Wines, said: “People may drink less or go out less, but you will see people trade up for better quality, especially in the wine sector.” Silva suggested the same for this year, anticipating “a higher spend on a smaller number of bottles, but greater interest in provenance, stories and flavour”.

Creativity in low & no

As one of the fastest-growing sections of the drinks trade, it’s no surprise that low & no emerged as a theme this year. In our survey, 53% of retailers said they expect the category to continue its expansion. At the same time, 66% said they had increased their own offer in the past year.

For some, there are still quality concerns, especially around the high level of sugar content in some low & no wines. At the same time, there was an overwhelming sense of excitement around low & no options that don’t mimic alcohol. Within this, sparkling tea received an especially strong response.

As for specific brands to stock in 2026, Vandestreek from the Netherlands was highlighted for alcohol-free beer, as were Drop Bear Brew, Days Brewing, Guinness and Lucky Saint. In wine, Wild Life and ALT were mentioned. Pentire spritzes received praise for being interesting alcohol-free spirits.

On alcohol-free cocktails, Cobb from Vagabond predicted there would be more creativity, with less of a focus on mimicking traditional cocktail formats and flavours. “Like with standalone drinks, cocktails that mimic the alcoholic versions are a good introduction to the category,” he said. However, “as the category has matured, there is a thirst for innovation and a new drink that could be different altogether”.

Local interests

Retailers expect increased interest in domestic products for 2026, the Drinks Retailing survey found. For wine, there was a strong feeling that English sparkling will continue to thrive, especially as the sparkling wine category outperforms still wine, as per November 2025 IWSR data.

Elsewhere, local gins and rum were mentioned by retailers. On this, David Jones, owner of Bier Huis, in Ossett, West Yorkshire, said: “Local products have always been a focus.” But they are becoming even more popular within spirits, Jones continued, with brands he stocks including Forged Spirits, York Gin and Pennine Brewery.

Similarly, Philip Amps, owner of Amps Wine Merchants mentioned the growing interest in English whisky – a category that is currently in the final approval stage of holding its own GI status. “Our tastings of English whisky are selling out and getting really positive responses,” Amps said, mentioning The Wire Works and The English Distillery as examples of distillers he is working with.

Retailers predicted that local and artisan breweries will continue to grow in popularity, linked to the desire to support small businesses over multinationals. Considering local breweries, retailers expected that non-alcoholic beers will expand, alongside stouts and porters. Some also pointed to more local lagers, with a move away from heavy IPAs.

Emerging regions

At the same time that retailers predict a rise in local products, they also report a growing interest in niche and esoteric regions, especially in the context of wine. Mirroring the findings in the 67 Pall Mall Fine Wine Report, published last October and noting a broadening interest in emerging regions over classical ones, many retailers are looking past the obvious origins.

Cobb from Vagabond highlighted a growing interest in eastern European wine. He anticipated that “emerging regions and countries like Poland and Moldova” will succeed in 2026, especially as drinkers fall back in love with aromatic wines.

That said, most retailers still expect classic wine-producing countries to hold their popularity throughout the year. Italy was mentioned by most as a country that will retain its cachet. “Italy is still perceived as worth the price tag,” said John Chapman, MD of The Oxford Wine Company.

More specifically, Silva pointed to the Loire Valley. “It seems to hit many on-trend styles,” she explained. “Crémant, light-bodied, chillable reds, mineral and taut whites, and generally moderate alcohol.”

Meanwhile, Julie Irvine-Mills, MD of North Wales indie Vinomondo, highlighted South Africa and Portugal as booming countries thanks to their ability to offer quality and affordability.

Cassie Butler Gould, manager of Butler’s Wine Cellar in Brighton, echoed this, describing Portugal, Spain and South Africa as countries that have a lot to offer.

Agave spirits

As the premium tequila trend continues to grow, it’s no surprise that agave spirits were mentioned by a large number of retailers. When asked which spirits they expected to grow in popularity in 2026, tequila came up most commonly, with mezcal also getting a mention. On trend, Gould from Butler’s Wine Cellar said the shop saw a large uptick in both over the past year.

“We regularly stock about four different tequilas, plus some extras if new or interesting ones come in,” Gould said. “We also like sotol, so I always have one on the shelf. We have about three or four mezcals but change the range more frequently.”

Highlighting raicilla – a traditional Mexican spirit from Jalisco, made with various agaves – Gould further predicted that alternative agave spirits will make an appearance in 2026.

Woodward at Grape Minds likewise said the shop had experienced a consumer-led desire for tequila. He added: “These are a small part of our offering, but we wish to expand our tequila range as we expect this to grow.”

Moving away from agave, other spirits mentioned included classics such as rum and whisky, as well as more unexpected options like sake, amaro and vermouth.

Headwinds

Despite excitement about new products, a sense of worry about the upcoming year was apparent among retailers: 60% said they expect their business to perform around the same compared to 2025, However, anxiety still looms for many.

Notably, tax remains a major concern, as do rising costs. John Earle, MD of Christopher Piper Wines, worried about the myriad increases, including “new packaging regulations and excise duty increases, all making wine more expensive”. Meanwhile, Cobb at Vagabond highlighted “taxes across the board and increases in overheads for businesses”.

In a summary of the problem, Woodward from Grape Minds named “rising costs, wages, NI, business rates and energy” as some of the biggest challenges facing independent retailers. Across the board there was also general unhappiness directed at the UK government for its perceived lack of support towards the industry.

The cost-of-living crisis also concerned many retailers who took part in the Drinks Retailing survey, both in terms of retail and hospitality. Irvine-Mills from Vinomondo suggested that the crisis could cause consumers to “trade down and visit less often in favour of some supermarket wines”. Woodward likewise commented: “We will continue to see fewer businesses trading with us and undoubtedly will see local hospitality venues close.”

With that said, premiumisation remains a silver lining during this tough time, with many retailers confident about their more premium offerings.

On this, Dean Pritchard, owner of Gwin Llyn Wines in Pwllheli, said: “The consumer will want value for money and may well buy less but buy better.