PRINCETON, NJ -- For only the second time in two decades, wine ties beer as the top choice when U.S. drinkers are asked whether they most often drink liquor, wine or beer. Gallup now finds nearly as many U.S. drinkers naming wine (35 percent) as beer (36 percent), while liquor still registers a distant third at 23 percent.

The 36 percent of U.S. drinkers favoring beer in Gallup??s July 7-10 poll ties for the lowest Gallup has recorded for the popular beverage since initiating this measure in 1992. The other low reading came in 2005, at the same time Americans' preference for wine temporarily surged to 39 percent. Beer regained a solid lead at the top spot, until this year.

The 35 percent now favoring wine and 23 percent liquor are near the record highs for these beverages, although preferences have generally fluctuated around the current levels since about 2003.

Preference for beer declined among all age groups this year, but it fell the most among young adults -- dropping to 39 percent today from 51 percent in 2010. By contrast, middle-aged adults' preference for beer fell just 3 percentage points (to 41 percent from 44 percent), and older adults' fell 2 points (to 27 percent from 29 percent).

Younger adults' decreased preference for beer is accompanied by slight increases in their preferences for liquor and wine. Additionally, 2 percent of young adults this year volunteered that they most often drink cordials, up from less than 1 percent in 2010 and in most prior years.

The predominance of beer as Americans' favorite drink has waned over the past two decades, but that decline was punctuated this year with a five-point drop in mentions of beer, from 41 percent to 36 percent. This was driven largely by a 12-point decline among younger adults. Beer's loss corresponds with slight gains in preferences for wine and liquor, both of which consequently register near their two-decade highs in 2011.

While meaningful, this year's shifts are not much different in magnitude from those seen in 2005 -- changes that proved temporary. Whether beer continues to lose ground to other forms of liquor or rebounds may depend on the future direction of young adults' drink preferences.