National Drink Wine Day: Interesting Facts To Know Before You Raise Your Next Glass

While Dry January helps some people detox their bodies from the excesses of December, there's a holiday this month that will help those who love to celebrate or simply wind down with a glass or a bottle of wine. It is called National Drink Wine Day (NDWD), which is observed on Feb. 18 every year.

NDWD was established some 16 years ago by Todd McCalla, an entrepreneur who splits his time between Tennessee and Arizona. What's surprising is McCalla hasn't ever sold wine, and he doesn't own a brewery, either. He only has friends who sell the drink. McCalla has no direct involvement in the wine industry, so the fact that he started a national holiday that has to do with wine is quite astounding.

McCalla works in real estate. Considering this fact and adding it up with all the wine-guzzling that takes place in Netflix's "Selling Sunset" and its spin-off shows where agents host open house events with lots and lots of bottles and fancy food to attract buyers, it sort of checks out.

Going back to NDWD, the following are a few interesting facts related to it, which can be used to impress the ones drinking with you. (Courtesy: The Drinks Business, Statista, Bucks County Herald and The Black Label)

• California produces the largest amount of wine in the country. The state dominates the list, followed by Washington, New York, Pennsylvania and Oregon, according to a report. The state had more than 4,500 wineries in 2020 and produced almost 300 million cases of wine that year, the second one being Oregon with 850 wineries that produced 15 million cases of wine.
• California is way ahead in wine consumption as well. In 2020, people in the state consumed 156,032 gallons, while South Dakota consumed the least with 1,226 gallons.
• More women prefer wine to beer. A survey from 2019 revealed that 43.2% of female respondents chose wine as their favorite alcoholic drink, while only 16% chose beer.
• Men's average per-bottle purchase is $4.04 higher than women's. That's according to a survey conducted by WineBusiness.com. Results from the survey also claimed that men were more motivated to drink wine socially to help them brag about their wine knowledge and boast about their collections. Women, on the other hand, said they drank it for social reasons and relaxation.
• Some people are scared of wine. Now, time for an unusual titbit about wine. Did you know that there are people who have a fear of wine? The condition is called oenophobia, which "triggers excessive and irrational fear or hatred, likely in the form of panic or anxiety."