Wine shifts to retail: Russians are buying the drink less often in restaurants

Sales of still and sparkling wines in restaurants and cafes in the first half of 2026 fell by 13% compared with the same period in 2025, Roskachestvo said in a study. Russians are increasingly saving money and buying wine together with ready-made food in stores.

«Food service is losing traffic to retail, and wine is following the overall decline in the industry,» the statement said.

According to a survey by Roskachestvo’s Consumer Behavior Research Center (CIPP), 14% of respondents buy wine in cafes and restaurants. That is 3 percentage points lower than in 2023, when a similar survey was conducted. But the share of those who buy wine in grocery stores has increased by 5 percentage points, to 31%. Another 41-43% of those surveyed buy wine in supermarkets, hypermarkets and universal stores.

Preference for domestic products

The structure of food service is changing: restaurants are switching to Russian wines. The share of domestic sparkling wines in restaurant and cafe sales in the first half of the year rose to 59% — 3.7 million bottles. The share of Russian still wines was 4%, or 3.5 million bottles.

The main driver of the segment is sparkling wine: sales are steadily growing (more than 4.5% in January–September) amid a decline in still wines. Russian production covers 72% of market needs.

Ready-made food affects wine

In winter, restaurateurs and the media sounded the alarm: food service outlets began to close. Shokoladnitsa, Rostics, Yakitoria and Menza optimized their presence in the segment.

Khleb Nasushny, the Fornetto pizzeria and the Dear, I’ll Call You Back bar chain have ceased operations entirely.

However, some experts link this to a shift in retail chain formats. The ready-made food market is showing rapid growth: consumers have begun to prefer dishes from supermarkets, and trips to restaurants have become less frequent.