‘It’s Josh O’Clock Somewhere': Why Memes About This Wine Are Taking The Internet By Storm

Memes on wine bottles from a wine company that has been in existence for nearly two decades have recently taken the internet by storm. So much so that it has now caught the attention of the media and even the makers of the wine. "We’re happily surprised with the online attention and have enjoyed following along with the memes that have popped up over the last week," Dan Kleinman, Josh Cellars' chief brand officer, said. "They’ve been creative, given us a good laugh, and we’ve had fun responding and engaging in the conversation."

"Josh," short for Josh Cellars, can be found at many stores. In some places, the bottles retail for as low as $8. Yet people are enjoying it like fine wine. Josh Cellars was created in 2007 by Joseph Carr, who named the company after his dad Josh as a way of "honoring all that his father had done for him," as per the company's website. 

"We know people prefer to buy brands with values that align with their own, and family, gratitude and giving back is core to the story and ethos of Josh Cellars," Kleinman said in an email to FOX Business.

Memes everywhere

The internet is seemingly having a great time with the wine named Josh, a name that is "universally funny." The reputation surrounding the wine was not that great as some called it “fat, round, consistent, and boring” and some called it “the Toyota Camry of wines.” 

This perception began to change when on January 6, 2024, an X user with the username @OptimusGrind snapped a photo of the Josh wine bottle in his hand and posted it with the caption, “I’m not gonna keep telling y’all to grow up and leave that Stella and Barefoot alone." The Stella and Barefoot that he is referring to represent the epitome of unsophisticated, outer-suburbs drinking culture. 

Now, the internet cannot seem to stop posting lines like “It’s Josh o’clock somewhere” with a picture of a Josh bottle and a wine glass in the sand as the sun rises in the background. "A wine but we call it Josh," posted another person using a still of Don Draper pitching a product from “Mad Men." Another famous meme template was seen where a father and son are having a conversation in the car. 

Wine critics have praised the wine

Wine critics like James Molesworth, senior editor of the authoritative Wine Spectator magazine, said, "We’ve reviewed Josh several times over the years, and it generally hits our good-to-very-good range. The scores range from 80 to 89, so it’s never hit the magic 90, which is a number that people latch on to but we do like to emphasize that a wine we rated in the 80s is still very good.”

Some people are only getting to know the wine brand now

While the internet cannot stop talking about wine, some people are confused. "For the first time I think ever, I've missed out on a full meme cycle cuz who is Josh and why do we like his wine so much?" one X user wrote. 

No matter what, people are loving the newfound wine and all the memes that it comes with!