LAST-MINUTE WAYS TO SUPPORT WINE AND JOIN COME OVER OCTOBER Come Over October launched in 2023 with a simple but powerful premise: wine has connected people for 8,000 years, and October is the month to honor that. The campaign invites us to slow down, gather with friends or family, and make wine the centerpiece of togetherness. In just one year, it’s grown from a spark to a movement. Thousands have embraced the idea, from consumers hosting casual dinners to wineries, retailers, and restaurants using the campaign to remind people that wine isn’t just a beverage—it’s a culture, a history, and a human connection poured into a glass. For the industry, it’s a chance to reframe wine as essential, not optional, in modern life. The wine industry needs this now more than ever. The pressures are piling up. Research from Stanford and other institutions is eroding the belief that “wine is good for your heart”, and the U.S. Surgeon General has recommende

Second-Year Sponsorship Highlights American Wine Industry’s Economic Impact and Community Building Mission  WineAmerica, the National Association of American Wineries, announced today its proud sponsorship of the 2025 Come Over October Congressional Wine Caucus press conference and reception, taking place on October 8th in Washington, D.C. This marks the second consecutive year WineAmerica has supported this important invitation-only industry event, demonstrating the organization’s continued commitment to fostering bipartisan support for America’s burgeoning wine industry.  The reception will showcase wines from across many states, celebrating the breadth, diversity and quality of American wine production from coast to coast. This comprehensive representation underscores the truly national scope of the American wine industry, which now includes 10,637 wine producers operating in every state. Economic Powerhouse Supporting American Communities WineAmerica&r

Join wine industry icon Karen MacNeil, RedChirp co-founder Jennie Gilbert, and Laurelle Turner-Clemons from Hess Persson Estates for a practical, idea-packed webinar to help you promote and sell your wine using the Come Over October campaign for creative traction.  Co-created by Karen, Kimberly Noelle Charles, and Gino Colangelo, the Come Over October campaign is focused on telling the positive story about wine by celebrating togetherness, connection, and hospitality. The campaign has experienced extraordinary success thus far—reaching nearly 2 billion media impressions in its first year. In this session, we’ll highlight how your winery can easily participate, benefit, and be a part of Come Over October this fall.  You’ll get proven text message marketing strategies, ready-to-use SMS campaigns, and expert tips to drive traffic and boost sales, all tailored to the Come Over October theme. Whether you're joining for the first time or returning for ano

It’s baaaaaack! The incredibly successful “Come Over October” campaign is once again inviting the international wine community to celebrate with the beverage that brings us all together. Everyone is invited, and now is the time to get started by planning for a dozen curated suggestions: –Game Day gatherings with wine and snacks –Best Friend nights centered around cooking dinner together –Neighborhood Potlucks that build community connections –Leaves Changing Color celebrations with white, red, and rose tastings after autumn walks –At-home wine tasting parties for old and new friends –Wine Book Club gatherings that combine reading with regional wine exploration –Renewed Sunday Supper traditions –End of October costume parties featuring bewitching wines –TGIF Wine and Cheese gatherings after work –Love Your Local Winery visits to support the wineries in all 50 states And you can even create your own themes! The

The Marketing Behind Come Over October Hopefully, by now, you’ve seen some wineries participate in Come Over October, a new program launched to benefit the wine industry. Our industry is facing a critical shift where the cultural narrative around wine is being scrutinized. At the same time, loneliness and isolation are now at epidemic levels, and the simple act of sharing wine, which has always been a catalyst for connection, seems to be losing its place. The goal of Come Over October, launched by wine journalist Karen MacNeil and PR veterans Gino Colangelo and Kimberly Noelle Charles, is to counter these trends. The idea is simple: encourage friends, family, and colleagues to “come over” in October to share a bottle and reconnect. It’s not about fancy wine pairings or breaking the bank—just using wine as a focus to celebrate being together in an increasingly disconnected world. The wine industry, as always, adapts to challenges, and this campaign is a re

This past summer, three wine industry colleagues came up with the idea of Come Over October to encourage people to get together once again to celebrate life’s special moments and friendships over a glass of wine. Why Now? Although we were all excited to be able to gather again after the pandemic shutdown, life demands derailed many of us from continuing to reach out to those we enjoy and carving out time to spend with them. Come Over October’s mission is straightforward and simple: “… to encourage people to invite family and friends, new and old, to come together during the month of October to share some wine and friendship. We believe that through the simple act of sharing wine, we share other things that matter — generosity, caring, and a belief that being together is an essential part of human happiness.” Getting together with friends for a glass of wine after work, on a Saturday afternoon with appetizers, or over a meal has been the social

Come Over October, approaching fast, will be a national celebration of wine as the beverage that brings us together—as family and friends, in homes and restaurants, for occasions large and small, or just hanging out. The kickoff event will occur in Congress on Wednesday, September 25, at a bipartisan wine reception co-hosted by WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries in Washington, DC. WineAmerica has previously hosted receptions in conjunction with its legislative fly-ins each spring, but this is an even better opportunity to bring a divided Congress together over a glass of wine, highlighting the spirit of Come Over October. WineAmerica’s mission involves federal public policy advocacy to protect and enhance the business climate for wine. While Michael Kaiser engages in the normal process of position papers, coalitions, and legislative meetings, we in the wine industry have a unique opportunity to tastefully remind legislators that wine is produced in a