2020 24 Hours to go!

The sparkling wine is chilling, the glasses clean, and it’s time to say GOOD RIDDANCE to 2020! 

In 2020, when we had nothing to do and no where to go, can you think of a better song than “I Wanna Be Sedated” by the Ramones to ring in the New Year? 

20, 20, 20, 4, hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do, nowhere to go, oh
I wanna be sedated

Just put me in a wheelchair, get me to the show
Hurry, hurry, hurry, before I go loco
I can’t control my fingers, I can’t control my toes
Oh no oh-oh oh-oh

Bam-bam-bambam bambam-bam-bambam, I wanna be sedated

No kidding!  Research shows that in 2020 we did wanna be sedated: we increased our drinking significantly in 2020 on our own, during online events with wineries, work team building events, and during ZOOM Happy Hours.

 According to “Americans Are Drinking 14% More Often During Pandemic, Study Finds” from NPR in October, a report in the journal JAMA Network Open indicates that women increased their drinking even more than men up by 17% compared to last year. And some even drank 41% more! In December, Science Daily reported a significant increase in binge drinking saying that “Harmful drinking among adults increases the longer they spend at home in lockdown, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.” 

Since we were doing more drinking in 2020 at home than in bars, Nielsen reports “that stores sold 54% more alcohol in late March compared the year prior.”  Since we weren’t supposed to leave home, online sales more than doubled. In general, larger wineries did well with the pivot to proving online ZOOM tastings while smaller wineries are struggling which is why we suggested joining wine clubs as a holiday gift on the seventh day of Christmas. 

In that article, I wrote that “while alcohol sales at the grocery store have increased during the pandemic, that hasn’t translated to increased sale for smaller wineries that typically don’t have a wide distribution and instead rely on restaurant sales, hand sells at wine shops, or direct to consumer via a wine club or tasting room experience… Smaller wineries are  bearing the brunt of the industry pivot to virtual tastings and events according to Peter Mitham, who says that the pandemic is creating a more competitive market — and one where the smaller wineries, which depend on visits for sales, are struggling. Further, Andrew Adams points out in a December 07, 2020 article that “Existing Club Members Drove Digital Sales Surge” in wine. Those larger wineries with healthy wine clubs and marketing departments who could reach out to members inc creative ways have done well.”

What a year, huh? No wonder we wanna be sedated…

Here on Wine Predator, in 2020, we have enjoyed some exceptional wines. AND we wrote about the too! We published 156 posts — this is number 157, and with this post, we’ll have published nearly 222,000 words in 2020. That’s a lot considering that the average novel has 70,000 words which means I’ve written three novels worth of words about wine in 2020.

Tomorrow I’ll post 20 posts from 2020 that standout as well as 20 wines for 2020. 

But for now, here’s to 2021! And there’s only 2020 24 hours to go for 2020!

“I Wanna Be Sedated”
by the Ramones