How wineries, associations, retailers and more are bringing the Come Over October campaign to life.
One benefit of judging in wine competitions is meeting other wine people, like my friend Kimberly Noelle Charles. Over the years, I’ve watched her create and grow Charles Communications Associates into a major wine communications agency. Now, she and two other wine professionals have created a movement that will launch in just over a month. The ideas and concepts that they’ve created and are now pursuing with others (and these are their ideas and concepts — not those of WineAmerica or any of our winery members) are timely and exciting. Cheers!
—Jim Trezise
President, WineAmerica
By Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET
This fall, the inaugural Come Over October campaign (COO), which was conceived in response to the growing anti-alcohol movement, is launching with gusto as the wine industry responds enthusiastically to this unifying concept. COO is the brainchild of Karen MacNeil, noted author of The Wine Bible, together with co-founders Gino Colangelo of Colangelo & Partners and me, Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates.
By encouraging wine drinkers to invite friends, colleagues and family to “come over” to share some wine, Come Over October (COO) honors wine’s history as a communal beverage that brings people together. As of this publication date, more than 70 organizations — including wineries, wine associations, retailers, trade groups, destination management groups, other tourism organizations and non-alcoholic brands — have jumped on board. More than $100,000 in cash and in-kind donations has been pledged and the campaign is just getting started.
The movement began as a U.S.-focused concept but has now been embraced globally with Wines of South Africa, Wines of Chile, the U.S. Champagne Bureau, Wines of Sicilia DOC and more joining daily.
Given its resonance, we wanted to share some of the innovative ways that companies and associations are putting the Come Over October campaign to action.
Wineries
Early to the party, Ridge Vineyards (Healdsburg, Calif.) enthusiastically shared with us that it plans to include a “How To” guide for setting up a wine tasting for groups in its fall DTC shipments. Ridge has designed a simple card that prompts recipients to gather wine openers, good glassware and tasting sheets to host a party with friends. The winery’s email newsletter describes the program and the ways that consumers can join in the fun. In addition, Ridge plans on having an incentive for its tasting room staff during the month of October, for booking groups as well as selling wine. Finally, the team will toast employees and gather that month to show employee appreciation. You can find more on the blog post they put together to help club members here.
Fox Run Vineyards in New York’s Finger Lakes region has outfitted its tasting room and patio with posters and table tents, all of which are free to download on the Come Over October website. Many assets exist there for retailers, tasting rooms, hotel rooms and restaurants to use freely.
Winery Associations
Wineries in California, New York and Texas have grouped together to promote visitation in October by co-promoting wineries on wine trails, tying in destination management organizations (where hotel bookings suggest visiting local wineries in October) and, in the case of the entire wine industry in Texas, co-branding its annual October Wine Month with the campaign. Spearheaded by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Uncork Texas Wines program, the Texas “Come on Over Y’all” initiative is supported by the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association, Texas Hill Country Wineries, Texas Wine Growers and Texas Fine Wine. They’ve creatively added Come Over Y’all to their communications to give the initiative local Texan flair.
Wines of Chile had a pre-existing fall sales program set with wine.com and elected to shift the messaging and focus of the program to Come Over October, encouraging consumers to explore Chilean wines. Given the online retailer has a number of themes and pre-existing sets online, it offers consumers an opportunity to explore a region or a theme easily with friends and family. Executive Director of Wines of Chile, Julio Alonso Ducci, states, “We have been partnering with Wine.com for several years, growing the relevance of Chilean wine among young consumers who follow Wine.com and spend more than $15 per bottle. Over the years, from 2020 to today in 2024, we have successfully increased the average price of Chilean wine in this channel to $20 per bottle. The Come Over October campaign gives us another avenue to forge a strong connection to this engaged audience.”
WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries, also jumped in quickly to support the initiative and held meetings with the COO team and its board and members to amplify the work of the campaign and share creative concepts. On September 25, WineAmerica and the three co-founders will host a press conference and tasting of wine from all 50 states with the Congressional Wine Caucus, spearheaded by co-chairs Representative Dan Newhouse (WA) and Representative Mike Thompson (CA).
Advocacy & Policy Groups
Amy Gross, president of Women For WineSense (WWS), writes, “Women For WineSense is proud to support Come Over October, as both share a common vision: recognizing and promoting wine’s ability to bring individuals together, deepen relationships and enrich our lives.” WWS was established in 1990 in response to a neo-prohibitionist movement at the time. It advocates for education and appreciation, side by side. In October, WWS will host a national event for all its chapters, with Karen MacNeil as a special guest.
Other groups, including Wine Market Council, Wine Opinions and Women of the Vine & Spirits, among many others, have joined COO to share ideas and co-promote.
Retailers
In addition to the wine.com program, retail chain Total Wine & More has signed on as a COO partner, meaning its 270 stores (in 28 states) will share in-store signage, video content and email marketing to promote the campaign. “We love that wine brings people together. It’s why we all got into this business and are so enthusiastic about making the shopping experience just as enjoyable as the sipping experience,” said CEO Troy Rice. “We’re proud to support an effort that inspires people to pick up their favorite bottle, whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic, invite their favorite people over and reconnect throughout the month of October and beyond.”
Adam Teeter, CEO of VinePair, is another ardent supporter of COO. He recently shared, “VinePair has always believed in the connections we make with a glass in hand, so it was a natural fit for us to support Come Over October, an initiative whose sole goal is to promote bringing people together over a glass of wine. Now more than ever, the wine industry needs to promote these essential moments of connection between all of us.”
Adam Strum, founder and chairman of Wine Enthusiast Companies, together with his daughter, President and Publisher Jacki Strum, shared “Wine has been part of society for thousands of years and has been influential in building and being a bedrock for community. Come Over October highlights these benefits and proactively brings to the forefront why wine is such an enduring beverage which brings people together for goodness, pleasure and positive interaction.”
The COO team looks forward to a successful campaign and is already hatching ideas for 2025. Stay tuned for more in the coming months!
Resources
- You can find free assets for promotion on the Come Over October website here.
- Events focused on Come Over October can be listed on LocalWineEvents.com at a dedicated page www.localwineevents.com/come-over-october
- Lyft, which is a patron of the program, is offering a year-long discount code (COMEOVEROCTOBER) for 50% off 2 rides, $10 max per ride, for all new users.
Creative ideas are always welcome, please contact us at info@comeoveroctober.com.
Kimberly Charles
Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, is the president and founder of Charles Communications Associates, a strategic marketing agency focused on the wine industry, founded in 2003. She is a co-founder of COME TOGETHER- A Community for Wine along with Karen MacNeil and Gino Colangelo.
