Josh Cellars wine has risen in popularity thanks to an influx of memes that recently took social media by storm. It originally went viral on X (formerly Twitter) after user @OptimusGrind__ told people to opt for Josh wine instead of competitors like Stella and Barefoot. From there, the internet ran with it and a myriad of memes were created all centered around the fact that the wine was really called Josh. From plays on Mad Men to Drake and Josh to Kendrick Lamar’s song “Swimming Pools,” people couldn’t get enough of the wine with the most average name.

I spoke to Dan Kleinman, Chief Brand Officer of Josh Cellars, to see how they were responding to the newfound fame.

“We’re thrilled by the increased attention and frankly, a lot of positivity around the brand. Maybe a bunch of people prior to the memes weren’t necessarily that familiar with Josh, [but you’ve got] loyal Josh fans [who] stepped up and [said], Oh my god, you guys haven't heard of this thing. We’ve been drinking it for years. It’s the best. So that’s been a wonderful surprise … to see so many people getting introduced to it for the first time,” Dan says.

It’s hard to keep up with the countless memes, but if he had to choose one Dan says, “My favorite is the picture of everyone in the NASA control room being like look at the Josh marketing team now. The reason I love it is because the picture is all men, and the entire team that works on Josh, from agency to the brand team, are all incredible women. So it just gives me a chuckle that that’s how people think.”

More importantly, it’s brought Josh Cellars incredible brand recognition. Once something goes viral on the internet, there’s no stopping how mammoth it can become, and Josh Cellars is thrilled to be on the receiving end. “There’s been so much good natured humor surrounding the brand, and the trend is continuing. It’s moved beyond Twitter to Instagram to TikTok and that makes us even more happy.”

And that brand recognition is translating to sales. The company says while they can’t explicitly attribute week over week sales to the viral memes, Josh Cellars’ growth has accelerated by 18.8 percent in the last two weeks, a 6.2 percent increase in comparison to the 11 weeks prior to the memes.

This is especially noteworthy because of the time of year. “January tends to be a little bit of a low month in the beverage alcohol industry because people have spent their money at the holidays. People are hitting the gym, [and there’s] dry January. So to see a brand achieve high double digit growth of this scale during this month has definitely been impacted by the attention to brand,” Dan says.

So where did the name come from? Josh Cellars was created in 2007 by founder Joseph Carr who named the business after his father as a way to honor his namesake and spirit. “It wasn’t even his real name. It was a nickname that only his closest friends knew,” Dan states.

Joseph’s mother also played a critical role. “It’s actually her script. She used to do calligraphy in her church weekly circular, and she drew the original Josh script. When he told her that he wanted to create a really welcoming brand that everyone could enjoy and that was an homage to the values and trades that he felt he built in his own career, she suggested the name.”

Just as the memes have poked fun at, there’s nothing snarky about the name Josh. It’s the mundanity that makes for comedic gold. Dan argues it brings the best of both worlds – the refinement you want in wine with approachability. “It’s such an informal name, and it’s a first name. So many wineries are dynastic – it’s their last name – that it just makes [Josh] a little bit more approachable and welcoming.”

Via the name and look and feel of the bottle, Josh Cellars aims to distinguish itself from other wine brands in the industry. “We talked to consumers. People say, That script in the white parchment, it’s pretty elegant. So it’s probably telling me this is going to be a good quality wine for the price.”

Indeed, the company does pride itself on producing high quality wine. The grapes are sourced from California across multiple appellations to craft the best product. “It’s a testament to our winemaker, Wayne Donaldson. He just makes great quality wine at this price point. We would say great quality wine for any price point. I think that’s the driver that keeps people coming back. Whether they get into it because of the memes, whether they get into it because of the packaging or they see some of our marketing, what keeps them coming back is that quality.”

While the wine featured in the viral memes was Josh Cellars Merlot, they also offer a host of other varietals including Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Prosecco as well as their Reserve line. Dan’s favorite is Hearth – one of the newer releases – a Cabernet meant to evoke a moment of enjoying wine with friends and family in front of the fire. “It’s got a richer, bold, intense flavor, a little bit higher alcohol content, and is delicious and warming inside.”

Their wines range in price from $15 to $23 and are sold online, in liquor stores nationwide, as well as at certain Target and Walmart locations.

With all the attention and buzz they’ve recently received, they are strategizing how to take advantage of this moment and beginning to rethink their own marketing strategies. “Someone made a funny joke, like come on, get a younger social media person. So, we listened and we pivoted our messaging to show the convivial and fun side of this brand.”

With all this talk, their social media engagements have skyrocketed. The week the memes began, Josh Cellars saw a 79-percent uptick in Instagram followers in comparison to the same week the year prior. Google searches for the brand are also on the rise.

“We’re honored. The folks that have been doing these memes are so incredibly creative. The core of our strategy on X is we will put out our own memes. We’re having fun and showing up, but I think it’s more important to playfully congratulate, share [and] respond to those folks who are bringing their creative energy to keeping the brand in the conversation.”

At the end of the day, Dan stresses the ethos of the brand is about giving back. “This is a brand that’s purpose is to share gratitude. Its brand story really derives from the founder creating the wine in homage to his dad who passed along values to him that made him a successful entrepreneur and human. Much of our communications are about encouraging people to share meaningful moments with those who matter most. So, as a brand voice, it’s much more heartwarming, welcoming, down to earth, good natured.”

Josh Cellars also gives back to organizations and charities that highlight work in the spirit of Josh himself, who was a volunteer firefighter and served in the military. They also hosted Joshgiving last year as a way for people to act on that sense of gratitude. “The brand is really about someone who said, I want to say thank you to those who propped me up along the way, who made my success possible. That’s the heart of what we do. So give us a try and share us with those people in your life who make it feel fulfilling.”

If you haven’t tried Josh wine yet, maybe now you have more reason to. From the ordinary name to the touching story, why not? It’s Josh o’clock somewhere.

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