Official Drinking Day du Jour: International Grenach Day

Now, here's something different.

Usually, the hokey world of "official" liquor days is dominated by spirits and cocktails. But here's one that celebrates a specific kind of wine: Grenache. Sept. 24 will be International Grenache Day, a whole day in honor of the world’s most widely planted red grape.

And, for once, we know who came up with the idea for the holiday. It originated at the First International Grenache Symposium in June in the Southern Rhone. "Over 250 top Grenache producers, journalists, and retailers from 23 countries pledged to demand that their local restaurants, retailers, friends and acquaintances make September 24th the day to celebrate Grenache each year," reads a press release. (So, this is a holiday by virtue of a handful of people simply demanding it be?)  

The aim of the day "is to create a wave of familiarity and interest so that one day people will walk into their favourite bar or restaurant and ask for a ‘Glass of Grenache’ as they do currently with Pinot Grigio or Merlot." Good luck with that.