A recent episode of my favorite reality show, The Bedford Stop, begins with twenty-somethings Olena, Alex and Blake (a newcomer to the BS crew!) coming together on Olena’s bday night to get their pre-party on. But instead of drinking beer, mixed drinks, or shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, they discuss their millennial issues and millennial concerns (Alex and Olena have the same neck scarf on!) over the new millennial drink of choice: fermented grapes.
A recent study reported by USA Today discovered that millennials drank 42% of all wine sold in the United States last year, which is “more than any other generation.” They continue:
Millennials, defined as the 79 million Americans ages 21 to 38*, drank 159.6 million cases of wine in 2015—an average of two cases per person… Baby Boomers made up 38 percent of regular drinkers and Gen Xers made up 20 percent.
Millennials also spend more on their wine, what with their enormous incomes and non-existent debt:
The council’s study found 17 percent of millennials had shelled out over $20 for a bottle of wine in the past month. Among all age groups, that number was just 10 percent.
As a card-carrying (my driver’s license) millennial, I both believe and have no problem with this new development in our collective boozing habits. Though I still find myself missing caffeinated Sparks from time to time.
*As NYMag noted, that number represents a millennial range that’s four years longer than the standard definition of people born born between 1982 and 2004.
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