“Dry January”: What’s a Wine Merchant to Do?
Every year we are confronted with the marketing efforts promoting Dry January on social media and news outlets encouraging clients decide to abstain from alcohol for the month. The idea for Dry January took hold as a way to recharge the batteries (and liver) after the long over-indulgent holiday season. Since we’re in the business of selling wine, what’s a Wine Guy to do?
One alternative is to sell non-alcoholic wine. Unfortunately, the majority of the stuff is pretty nasty. Another road I could have taken, and almost did, is to enter the increasingly popular Cannabis Beverage Market.
The popularity of cannabis beverages, or what I call Weed Water, is taking off like a rocket. Infused with Delta 9 THC, the substance in marijuana that gets you high, these hemp infused waters are flying off the shelf. Gone are the days of hash pipes and bongs. Say hello to brightly packaged cans sold as a healthy alternative to alcohol. Retail sales in the Midlands from just one distributor jumped from over $200,000 in 2023 to over $400,00 in 2024.
If most wine and beverage stores are selling cannabis beverages, why don’t we? At the risk of sounding corny, I don’t sell getting high. I’m glad that I made this decision, and here’s why:
Drinking wine should be all about the experience. I opened Palmetto Wine Sellers to sell the delight of tasting a new wine for the first time. We sell a product that makes your meals more enjoyable and brings people together. This is where you buy that special vintage you saved for Christmas dinner and the bottle you chose for the toast at your daughter’s wedding.
Wine is important for many reasons—historical, religious, social, celebratory, artistic, and economic—and just because it is delicious. Whatever makes wine important to you is all that matters to me.
If you’re choosing to participate in Dry January, I’ll see you in a few weeks. Otherwise, I hope to see you this week to taste the fantastic new wines in the shop.
Cheers!
The Wine Guy