International growth is matched by growing U.S. retail adoption, with Kroger and Albertsons activating the campaign this fall.
September 28, 2026 (St. Helena, CA) — Come Over October™ returns for its third year with its broadest participation yet, as the campaign expands internationally, grows its presence across U.S. retail and introduces new ways for consumers to put its simple invitation to gather into action.
Canada returns for a second year with an expanded national campaign led by Wine Growers Canada, while New Zealand joins Come Over October for the first time. In the U.S., Albertsons’ Southern Region has adopted Come Over October as promotional programming for September and October, and Constellation Brands will activate the campaign for a third time across nearly 500 Kroger supermarkets.
At the same time, Come Over October is adding new tools and partnerships designed to make gathering easier and more fun, from invitations and conversation starters to recipes, interactive experiences and giveaways.
“Come Over October is based on a simple but powerful idea, that wine brings us together,” said Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and co-founder of Come Over October. “Our lives are enriched by social connection; and social connection has no borders. It’s fantastic to see Come Over October being embraced around the world.”
The Invitation Goes International
Canada’s 2026 campaign will coordinate wineries, regional associations, restaurants and other partners around a national invitation to connect. Two major moments will anchor the month: Open the Door on October 1 and The Long Table on October 16, both nationwide days of gatherings and shared tables. An Event-in-a-Box toolkit gives wineries ways to participate at different levels, from simple “bring a friend” tastings to community dinners and regional events.
New Zealand is joining Come Over October for the first time through a coalition of wine, retail and hospitality businesses. Coordinated locally by Brent Eddy of Homefields Wine, the first-year campaign is deliberately grassroots, with producers, retailers, restaurants and media encouraged to use free campaign materials and bring the idea to life in ways that feel natural to their own businesses and communities. Wellington retailer Regional Wines is among the businesses already participating.
“There’s something incredibly exciting about watching Come Over October cross borders and take on a local life of its own,” said Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, co-founder of Come Over October and president of Charles Communications Associates. “Canada and New Zealand are creating bespoke campaigns that resonate with their cultures and traditions, and that’s the beauty of this concept. The invitation is universal, but how people gather is wonderfully personal.”
For New Zealand organizers, preserving that local character is essential. “We don’t want to run a sales campaign, we want to encourage people to start a habit, or get back to it, of intentionally connecting with one another,” said Eddy. “Everyone taking part is doing it their own way, which is exactly the point, this only works if it feels like an invitation from someone you know, not a marketing push from an industry.”
More Retailers Put Come Over October in Front of Consumers
Come Over October will also have a larger presence where consumers shop for wine this fall. Albertsons’ Southern Region has adopted the campaign as promotional programming across the region for September and October, while Constellation Brands will bring Come Over October programming to nearly 500 Kroger supermarkets for the third time.
Independent and regional retailers are getting behind the campaign as well, including Gary’s Wine & Marketplace and Buy Rite New Jersey, bringing Come Over October into local communities and neighborhood wine shops.
The continued retail adoption builds on previous Come Over October programs that have demonstrated the campaign’s ability to create a shared occasion around wine while giving retailers and suppliers flexibility in how they activate it.
“Retail is where Come Over October can move from an idea people hear about to an occasion they actually participate in,” said Gino Colangelo, co-founder of Come Over October and president of Colangelo & Partners. “Seeing retailers and suppliers come back to the campaign, expand it and make it part of their own programming is significant. It puts a very simple message in front of consumers at exactly the right moment: invite someone over and enjoy some wine together.”
Giving Consumers Something to Do
Come Over October’s recent Wine & Gathering Study reinforced the opportunity behind that approach. Among more than 1,500 wine consumers surveyed, 41% said having a specific occasion or reason to gather would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine, while 44% wanted easy recipes and food-pairing ideas.
This fall, ComeOverOctober.com will give consumers more ways to act on that invitation, including downloadable invitation templates, conversation starters, hosting ideas and other tools intended to take some of the work out of gathering.
A new partnership with BlindVine will introduce What’s Your Hosting Signature? an interactive experience that lets consumers discover one of eight hosting personalities and share the results with friends. Come Over October is also partnering with the American Lamb Board on approachable recipes and wine-pairing ideas, culminating in a seasonal giveaway, while LocalWineEvents.com is bringing campaign programming and events directly to its vast community of wine lovers as part of an expanded partnership this year.
“We’ve learned a lot by listening to consumers this year, and one message came through very clearly: they want more reasons to get together and practical ideas that make it easier to do,” said Barbara Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Come Over October. “That’s shaped both the tools we’ve developed and the partnerships we’ve built this year. We’re giving people things they can actually use, whether that’s an invitation they can text to a friend, a game that gets everyone talking or a recipe that answers the eternal question of what to make for dinner.”
Now entering its third year, Come Over October was created in 2024 by MacNeil, Colangelo and Charles around a straightforward idea: give people a reason to make time for one another and celebrate wine’s longstanding place in those moments.
Consumers and members of the wine industry can find campaign resources, gathering ideas and 2026 programming at ComeOverOctober.com.
About COME TOGETHER—A Community for Wine Inc.
COME TOGETHER—A Community for Wine Inc. is the mission-driven company behind the Come Over October™ and Share & Pair Sundays™ wine advocacy campaigns. Founded in 2024 by wine writer and author Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo of Colangelo & Partners, and Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, of Charles Communications Associates, the organization tells the story of wine’s historic and contemporary role as a beverage that brings people together. For a full list of supporters and more information visit www.cometogetherforwine.com.
