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National Drink Wine Day uncorks a stream of spirited sentiment on social media
Benjamin Franklin reportedly once described wine as “a constant proof that God loves us, and that he loves to see us happy.”
The founding father would have loved National Drink Wine Day. Especially this year’s made-up holiday, as it also landed on Presidents Day, a federal holiday that occurs on the third Monday of February.
The National Day Calendar, which tracks notable dates, does not state an origin for National Drink Wine Day. And neither does the Checkiday site, which simply says the February 18 holiday was started “to spread the love and health benefits of wine.”
That’s all social media mavens needed to make #NationalDrinkWineDay a trending hashtag all day long.
Stars and their wine
Several celebrities chimed in, too. Actress Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) defined wine as “a hug in a glass,” in a tweet.
Kyle MacLachlan (“Twin Peaks”) wished everyone an “out of this whirl’d” day, in a tweet featuring a GIF of him swirling his glass of white.
The hosts of NBC’s Today, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, declared “every day is #NationalDrinkWineDay,” in their tweet.
Sharing wine history
While most of the Presidents Day attention goes to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Paul Sparrow, director of the FDR Library and Museum in Poughkeepsie, New York, suggested on Twitter that celebrators raise “a toast to our longest serving President, Franklin Roosevelt, and remember he ended Prohibition!”
Unlike other made-up holidays, national chain restaurants aren’t promoting wine deals though some such as Olive Garden were tweeting about it Monday.
Wine on a budget?
Looking to enjoy an inexpensive bottle at home? Aldi’s Winking Owl wine is $2.97 at most locations, which carry alcohol. Trader Joe’s has wine for $2.99 a bottle in its Charles Shaw line, commonly referred to as “Two Buck Chuck.”
Some local spots did tweet out discounts for potential celebrators. Among them were Red, Wine & Brew in Mentor, Ohio, which said shoppers could take the retail-priced wines bought in their store into the lounge to enjoy them.
Healdsburg, California’s Dry Creek Vineyard had 25 percent savings and $1 shipping for visitors looking to ship selections home.
