Come Over October: The Time Is Now (Karen MacNeil)

The problem with Sober October is that it suggests a binary option.

By Karen MacNeil

Dear Wine Colleague,

Ideas happen. Most die, some languish, and a few flourish. The latter is what you will read about today from my friend and colleague Karen MacNeil, the Napa-based speaker, educator, and author of The Wine Bible. The ideas and concepts which she created and is now pursuing with others (and these are her ideas and concepts and not those of Wine America or any of our winery members) are not only timely, but truly exciting for anyone who loves wine — and people. Cheers!

Jim Trezise
President, WineAmerica

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A year ago, I would have said that an Anti-Alcohol Neo-Prohibitionist movement was fringe at best.

What a difference a year can make. I now believe that any reasonable person who has been following the news cannot help but see that the wine industry is in danger. When the World Health Organization says that no amount of alcohol — not a single drop of wine — is safe, it’s time to pay attention.

It was this concern that led me to found, along with Kimberly Charles and Gino Colangelo, the company COME TOGETHER — A Community for Wine. Our first international campaign, Come Over October, launches this October, and there’s not a moment to lose.

Allow me to provide some quick background.

The idea for Come Over October began this past January when I shot and posted a video on Instagram called “Why I Hate Dry January.” Within a few hours the video had 17,000 shares and hundreds of comments.

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The first comment was from a sommelier at a very famous restaurant (which I won’t name). In his words I “had it all wrong.” Dry January, he maintained, was a good thing and people should take a break from wine. Several sommeliers he worked with were all participating in Dry January, he said.

Many of the posts over the next few hours were in support of Dry January, and the reason often cited was that people should do what is right for their own bodies.

I completely agree.

But the point of my video was different. I was, and continue to be, saddened and troubled by three issues.

First, I’m disappointed that the narrative around wine has devolved to a discussion solely about alcohol. To me, wine — so intimately tied to Nature, spirituality, and culture — is far more than alcohol. (As we all know, if all you wanted was alcohol, there are cheaper and faster ways to get it than by having a glass of wine.) The recent piece “In Defense of Wine” by New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov beautifully captured wine’s uniqueness. Asimov wrote, “I want to stand up for the beauty and joy of wine, which has been embraced by humans since the dawn of civilization.”

My second concern is that some of the narrative around Dry January has taken on an increasingly self-righteous tone. (One of the people who posted on Instagram told me I should “reexamine my relationship to wine and alcohol.”)

Third, and most important, I was saddened that no one was telling the positive story about wine. For 11,000 years, wine has been a communal beverage — a beverage that brings people together, creates new friendships and deepens old ones. Why wasn’t the story of wine’s historic positive role in society and culture being told?

Soon after that, I learned about Sober October. In one study conducted by Wine Opinions and Colangelo & Partners, more than 50% of people ages 21 to 39 who were interviewed said they are planning to participate in Sober October this year or Dry January next year. 50%!

The problem with Sober October is that it suggests a binary option. Either you’re sober or you’re the opposite of sober — drunk. The implication is damning and dangerous. And also untrue. The vast majority of people who drink wine are not drunkards.

Sober October and Dry January constitute 17% of the calendar year. That’s a huge amount of time during which wine drinking as we’ve known it is slipping away right before our eyes. And ironically, given wine’s role in bringing people together, all of this is happening when the Surgeon General reports that social isolation and loneliness are now at epidemic levels in the U.S.

One morning in February, my head and heart a jumble, an idea came to me: a nationwide campaign called Come Over October. That idea is now a reality. This October, we at COME TOGETHER are asking wine drinkers to invite a colleague, a friend, a neighbor or a family member to “come over” to a restaurant or a home or any gathering place, to share some wine.

It’s a simple idea, but an idea whose time has come.

Kimberly Charles, Gino Colangelo, and I are all donating our time to this mission. We believe in wine’s historic role as a beverage of moderation and a beverage that unites us. Wine reminds us of everything that matters: generosity, goodwill, friendship, a respect for Nature and the sheer joy of just being together and sharing.

We hope you’ll join us.

If you’d like more information on the Come Over October campaign and how you can participate, go to www.cometogetherforwine.com and www.comeoveroctober.com.

Karen will be discussing more about Come Over October on Aug 7th during the Bold Predictions Wine Leadership virtual conference. Register to tune in for this free event: wineindustryadvisor.com/boldpredictions.