Wine has always been more than what’s in the glass. It is ritual, history, and most of all, community — an invitation to linger a little longer with friends, neighbors, or family. That belief is at the heart of Come Over October (COO), a month-long initiative that returns this fall.
The Spark
The idea began in 2024, when wine author Karen MacNeil, communications veteran Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, and PR strategist Gino Colangelo founded COME TOGETHER — A Community for Wine Inc. Their motivation was simple but urgent: to reclaim wine’s story as a force for good.
“We created Come Over October to give wine its cultural due — to show how it plays a positive role in society,” MacNeil has said. “Wine at its best is about connection.”
For the three founders, who together have spent decades working in wine education, advocacy, and communication, COO became a way to counter a growing narrative that framed wine solely through the lens of abstinence or excess. Instead, they wanted to remind people of what wine has represented for millennia: conviviality, moderation, and belonging.
A Movement Grows
The inaugural campaign in 2024 proved the resonance of that message. By the end of its first year, Come Over October had reached billions, supported by wineries, retailers, restaurants, and trade groups across the United States. More importantly, it sparked a broader conversation about what it means to share wine in thoughtful, intentional ways.
As Charles explained in an interview, the campaign is “not about drinking more wine, but about drinking wine more meaningfully.”
Share & Pair Sundays
To bring that vision to life in more tangible ways, COME TOGETHER — A Community for Wine Inc. launched Share & Pair Sundays as a sister campaign, where participants are encouraged to invite friends or neighbors to gather around the table, open a bottle, and pair it with food — whether a simple home-cooked meal or a restaurant dish enjoyed together. The goal is not prescriptive pairings or connoisseurship, but the act of sharing itself. By turning Sundays into an occasion for intentional connection, COO offers an accessible way for anyone, regardless of wine knowledge, to take part in the campaign.
What’s New for 2025
This year, COO expands its reach in several notable ways. In October, New York City will host a kickoff reception bringing together producers, journalists, and industry leaders. A few days earlier in Washington, D.C., COO will join forces with WineAmerica for the 2nd Annual Congressional Wine Caucus Reception, showcasing wines from close to 20 U.S. states underscoring the cultural and economic impact of America’s more than 10,000 wine producers.
Internationally, COO debuts in Canada in 2025 through a new partnership with Wine Growers Canada, marking the campaign’s first expansion beyond U.S. borders. The move signals COO’s ambition to grow into a global platform for wine advocacy and connection.
Recognition is following, too: MacNeil, Charles, and Colangelo have been jointly nominated for Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 “Person of the Year” Wine Star Award, an honor that underscores how far the initiative has come in just one year.
Why It Matters
At a time when social lives are fragmented and much of our communication takes place through screens, COO feels especially timely. The campaign calls on people to gather in person — to share a bottle, exchange stories, and build the kinds of connections that resist the pace of modern life.
Colangelo has described the ethos succinctly: “It’s not about wine for wine’s sake. It’s about people. Wine just happens to be the catalyst.”
Looking Ahead
The long-term vision is for Come Over October to become an annual tradition, not unlike seasonal rituals that bring people together year after year. If 2024 was about proving the concept, and 2025 is about expanding its reach, the years ahead may establish COO as a fixture in both the wine industry and broader culture.
In the end, what COO celebrates is something timeless. To pour a glass of wine is to make space for connection, whether with an old friend or a new neighbor. This October, the invitation is simple: come over, raise a glass, and remember what truly matters.
For more information about the Come Over October campaign, visit www.comeoveroctober.com or follow along on Instagram at @comeoveroctober.
Photos courtesy of Come Over October
