{{Short description|American winery}} {{Infobox winery | name = Josh Cellars | logo = Josh Cellars logo.png | logo_size = 150px | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = Josh Cellars Reserve.jpg | image_caption = Bottles of Josh Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon | location_place = | location_city = | location_state = California | location_country = United States<ref name="delish" /> | wine_region = {{hlist|Mendocino|Paso Robles}} | year_founded = {{Start date|2007}} | first_vines = | first_vintage = | year_public_opening = | key_people = Joseph Carr | parent_company = Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits | acres_cultivated = | cases_per_year = 5,000,000<ref name="sfc">{{cite news |last1=Mobley |first1=Esther |title=How this $20 California wine became the internet's favorite joke |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/josh-cellars-bottle-meme-18610999.php |website=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=21 January 2024 |language=en |date=18 January 2024}}</ref> | signature_wine = | varietal1 = Cabernet Sauvignon | varietal2 = Chardonnay | varietal3 = Merlot | varietal4 = Pinot grigio | varietal5 = Pinot noir | varietal6 = rosé | varietal7 = Sauvignon blanc | varietal8 = Zinfandel | website = {{URL|joshcellars.com}} }}
'''Josh Cellars''' is an American winery that primarily produces California wine. It was launched in 2007 by American vintner Joseph Carr and named as a tribute to his father, Josh. As of 2023, it was the best-selling premium table wine brand in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mejía |first1=Paula |title=Is Josh Wine Any Good? We Asked Sommeliers Named "Josh" To Weigh In |url=https://www.gq.com/story/is-josh-wine-any-good-we-asked-sommeliers-named-josh-to-weigh-in |website=GQ |access-date=19 January 2024 |date=18 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="vine">{{cite web |last1=White |first1=Olivia |title=8 Things You Should Know About Josh Cellars |url=https://vinepair.com/articles/ntk-josh-cellars/ |website=VinePair |access-date=19 January 2024 |date=24 February 2023}}</ref> and the most popular brand of wine in the country that costs more than $10 per bottle.<ref name="ba" />
== History ==
American vintner Joseph Carr, who grew up in Upstate New York, first began developing Josh Cellars in 2005 in collaboration with Sonoma-based winemaker Tom Larson.<ref name="vine" /><ref name="bi">{{cite web |last1=Bitter |first1=Alex |title=A $9 bottle of wine is going viral on X because its name is 'Josh' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/bottle-of-wine-going-viral-twitter-because-twitter-josh-2024-1 |website=Business Insider |access-date=21 January 2024 |date=13 January 2024}}</ref> The company's name is a tribute to Joseph Carr's father Josh, who died in 1992 and was not a winemaker but rather a military veteran who also worked as a lumberjack and volunteer firefighter.<ref name="parade">{{cite web |last1=Albanese |first1=Allie |title=A Winemaker's Tribute to His Father |url=https://parade.com/303542/allieandmeluncorked/a-winemakers-tribute-to-his-father/ |website=Parade |access-date=19 January 2024 |language=en |date=11 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chou |first1=Jun |title=Who Is Josh, and Why Is His Wine Taking Over My Feed? |url=https://thetakeout.com/what-is-josh-cellars-wine-twitter-social-media-memes-1851170155 |website=The Takeout |access-date=19 January 2024 |language=en |date=17 January 2024}}</ref> Carr's mother first suggested the name; as Carr recounted, "although she was half joking when she said it, I loved the idea."<ref name="parade" />
The company launched their first wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, in 2007, which Carr sold out of the back of his truck with his wife Dee.<ref name="ba">{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Ali |title=The Secret to Josh Wine's Viral Success |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/story/josh-wines-viral-memes |website=Bon Appétit |access-date=19 January 2024 |date=18 January 2024}}</ref> They have since expanded their repertoire to include 11 varieties as of 2023, including Chardonnay, rosé, and Pinot noir, as well as a reserve collection of barrel-aged wine.<ref name="delish" /><ref name="ba" />
Wayne Donaldson joined Josh Cellars as head winemaker in 2009. Under his direction, several of the brand's varietals, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Merlot, have earned critical acclaim with 90+ point scores. His work also extends to the Josh Cellars Reserve portfolio, where both the North Coast and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignons have received similar accolades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Story of Our Wines {{!}} Company History {{!}} Josh Cellars {{!}} Josh Cellars |url=https://www.joshcellars.com/our-story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008052130/https://www.joshcellars.com/our-story |archive-date=2024-10-08 |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=www.joshcellars.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 2011, Josh Cellars was acquired by the beverage conglomerate Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, who gained control of sales, marketing, and production, while Carr remained the owner and face of the company.<ref name="tu" /> Josh Cellars thrived under the ownership of Deutsch amid a rapid growth period for mid-range wines, with an increase in sales from 130,000 cases in 2012 to 980,000 cases in 2015.<ref name="sfc" /><ref name="tu" />
As of 2021, Josh Cellars produces wine in two Californian facilities in Paso Robles and Mendocino, a third facility in Oregon, and an additional facility in Italy where it produces two types of Prosecco.<ref name="tu">{{cite news |last1=Barnes |first1=Steve |title=Local native's Josh Cellars gets winery-of-year award |url=https://www.timesunion.com/tablehopping/article/Local-native-s-Josh-Cellars-gets-winery-of-year-16629459.php |website=Times Union |access-date=21 January 2024 |language=en |date=18 November 2021}}</ref>
In 2024, their production facility in Mendocino, Ray's Station Winery, was issued a cease and desist order by California's North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, who cited local reports of "intense foul odors" coming from the facility.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Guerrero |first1=Susana |title=Calif. wine facility causing 'intense foul odors' slapped with cease-and-desist notice |url=https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/calif-rays-station-winery-facility-bad-smells-19563546.php |website=SFGate |access-date=10 July 2024 |date=9 July 2024}}</ref>
== Marketing and promotion ==
Josh Cellars was featured in an April 2021 ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch, in which a wine mom portrayed by Kate McKinnon remarked, "I love that it's called Josh ... That's such a neat name for wine," with the sketch later declaring Josh to be "the official wine of Rummikub".<ref name="snl">{{cite web |last1=Barnes |first1=Steve |title=Joe Carr's Josh wines get poke from 'Saturday Night Live' |url=https://blog.timesunion.com/tablehopping/67489/joe-carrs-josh-wines-get-poke-from-saturday-night-live/ |website=Times Union |access-date=21 January 2024 |date=5 April 2021}}</ref> Joseph Carr said regarding the sketch, "It's amazing to get exposure like that. It really says something about how the brand's getting out there."<ref name="snl" />
In May 2021, Josh Cellars donated $30,000 to the Children's Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska as part of the Josh fight, a fundraising event surrounding a "fight" between people named Josh.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stewart |first1=Kelsey |title='Josh Fight' inspires California winery to donate $30,000 to Children's Hospital in Omaha |url=https://omaha.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/josh-fight-inspires-california-winery-to-donate-30-000-to-childrens-hospital-in-omaha/article_7e5221d0-ae74-11eb-8e5a-1784385613e5.html |website=Omaha World-Herald |access-date=21 January 2024 |language=en |date=6 May 2021}}</ref>
In 2022, the company launched a "Joshgiving" ad campaign starring Josh Groban, calling on "Joshes across the country" to "give back to the people and communities that enrich their lives by conducting meaningful acts of thanks in the lead up to the Thanksgiving holiday."<ref name="bi" />
==Production== Following its acquisition by Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits in 2011, Josh Cellars significantly expanded its output. Production grew from approximately 1 million cases in 2016 to 7.5 million cases by 2024, encompassing 23 wine varieties.<ref name="WSJ2024">{{Cite news |last=Teague |first=Lettie |title=How Josh Became a Wine Megabrand—Which Brand Might Be Next? |url=https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/how-josh-became-a-wine-megabrand-which-brand-might-be-next-c9bddd1a |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=October 24, 2024 |access-date=April 14, 2025}}</ref> The brand has also gained prominence in the affordable wine market, ranking as the bestselling table wine under $20 at Total Wine & More.<ref name="WSJ2024" />
== Internet meme ==
In January 2024, Josh Cellars became an internet meme following a viral post on X that featured an image of Josh Cellars Merlot with the caption "I'm not gonna keep telling y'all to grow up and leave that Stella & Barefoot alone."<ref name="sfc" /> Many users pointed out the irony of Josh's simple human name rendered in a sophisticated cursive font, posting catchphrases such as "It's Josh o'clock somewhere"<ref name="ba" /><ref name="today">{{cite web |last1=Lamour |first1=Joseph |title=The Josh wine meme, explained: 'It's Josh o'clock somewhere' |url=https://www.today.com/food/trends/josh-wine-meme-explained-rcna134543 |website=Today |access-date=21 January 2024 |language=en |date=18 January 2024}}</ref> and "Last night we let the Josh talk".<ref name="delish">{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Gabby |title=This Viral Wine Brand Has Twitter Swarming With Memes |url=https://www.delish.com/food/a46424421/josh-wine-meme-explained/ |website=Delish.com |access-date=21 January 2024 |date=17 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="slate">{{cite web |last1=Winkie |first1=Luke |title=What's So Funny About Josh? |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/01/josh-cellars-wine-memes-explained-red-cabernet.html |website=Slate |access-date=21 January 2024 |date=19 January 2024}}</ref> Some memes also referenced other wineries with similar male names, such as Justin Vineyards and Bradley Vineyards.<ref name="ba" />
Josh Cellars embraced the brand's newfound meme status, with Chief Brand Officer Dan Kleinman saying in a statement, "The wittiness of these posts have captivated us and we're delighted to see our brand be part of the broader social media conversation ... Let the memes flow!"<ref name="delish" />
== References == {{reflist}} Category:2007 establishments in California Category:American companies established in 2007 Category:Food and drink companies established in 2007 Category:Internet memes introduced in 2024 Category:Wineries in California