By Virginie Boone

It’s been well-documented in our popular culture that we have a loneliness epidemic in our country, one exacerbated by deep political and economic divisions, social media and one very long pandemic that required –to add insult to injury – we isolate at home.

Wine has always helped foster community and communion, and it is hoping to be part of the cure to what ails us once more. To that end there is a new campaign kicking off next month across the globe called Come Over October, an inaugural effort to encourage friends, family and colleagues to “come over” during the month of October to share wine and celebrate in-person connection.

The effort is the first from COME TOGETHER – A Community for Wine Inc., co-founded by renowned educator and The Wine Bible author Karen MacNeil, Gino Colangelo, president of Colangelo & Partners, and Kimberly Noelle Charles, president and founder of Charles Communications Associates.

COME TOGETHER is a mission-driven company committed to creating and sharing positive, inclusive consumer information about moderate wine consumption and wine’s historic role as a communal beverage.

The founders will be meeting today, September 25, 2024, with the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Wine Caucus – our own Representative Mike Thompson and Dan Newhouse of Washington state – to hold a press conference and wine reception for Members of Congress and invited guests featuring wine from all 50 states hosted by WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries that has more than 500 members.

Launched in May, the Come Over October campaign has raised $100,000 and counting in funding to help spread the word and “take a strong position on the relevance and significance of wine, historically and contemporarily.”

“We are living in trying times and we all know that good company, good conversation, laughter and conviviality contribute to an enhanced lifestyle,” MacNeil said. “We want to encourage people to put down their devices and share in each other’s company. Historically and socially, wine has often played a role in facilitating conversation, nurturing new friendships and deepening old ones.”

Financial and in-kind support has come from many industry sources, from Total Wines & More to Jackson Family Wines, Lyft, Benchmark Wine Group, Freixenet Mionetto, Folio Fine Wine Partners and more, with global support from the Champagne Bureau, New Zealand Wine, Wines of Australia, Wines of Chile and Wines of South Africa, with more to come.

The initiative for Come Over October began last January, when MacNeil posted a video on Instagram she called, “Why I Hate Dry January.” There, she bemoaned the puritanical, Prohibition-leaning efforts of such trends making people feel bad about drinking – not only Dry January but another month, Sober October. MacNeil felt wine was different than other types of alcohol. The video sparked a lot of reaction, good and bad.

“The opposite of sober is of course drunk,” MacNeil explained in a Zoom press conference held in July. “This struck me as divisive. The implication that all wine drinkers get drunk when they drink was flat out wrong.”

She felt compelled from that moment on to tell wine’s positive story.

This is what we endeavor to do with The Good Stuff, too. Come Over October co-founder Kimberly Charles joined us on “The Good Stuff” Show with Sonoma County Winegrowers on KSRO 103.5 FM/1350 AM. The recording will air October 12 and be available as a podcast afterwards. There, we discussed our mutual love for wine, its deep cultural, historical and agricultural roots, and its ability to bring joy and foster a sense of community.

Clearly MacNeil and the supporters of Come Over October are not alone in this goal to elevate wine’s place in American society. Along with the momentum building from Come Over October, other members of the wine media are fighting back against “feeling besieged and stigmatized,” as Eric Asimov put it in a June story for The New York Times.

“I want to stand up for the beauty and joy of wine, which has been embraced by humans since the dawn of civilization,” he wrote. “Wine has played a role in religions and been a beloved element of many societies. It is often integral to people’s cultural identities. For centuries, wine was a necessity for many people, safer to drink than water.”

He added, “Wine endures because of the deep and subtle pleasure it offers… Wine drinkers enjoy the buzz, but if that were the only element sought, wine would be no more than an intoxicant… Good wine transports as it refreshes. It’s an invitation to visit other cultures and worlds, to learn about history and geology, agriculture and environmentalism. Aged wine offers a journey through time… It can be a gateway to philosophy and to contemplation.”

Locally, Come Over October events are starting to percolate. Check out events listed on LocalWineEvents, and remember to share wine and friendship not only this month, but all during the year. #ComeOverOctober