{"id":138480,"date":"2026-09-29T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/?p=138480"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:43:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T20:43:33","slug":"come-over-october-celebrates-its-third-iteration-goes-global-expanding-across-the-u-s-canada-and-new-zealand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.send2press.com\/wire\/come-over-october-celebrates-its-third-iteration-goes-global-expanding-across-the-u-s-canada-and-new-zealand\/","title":{"rendered":"Come Over October Celebrates its Third Iteration – Goes Global, Expanding Across the U.S., Canada and New Zealand"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. HELENA, Calif., Sept. 29, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — 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, COME TOGETHER-A Community for Wine Inc. announced today.<\/p>\n

\"Come
Image caption: Come Over October.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome Over October is based on a simple but powerful idea, that wine brings us together,\u201d said Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and co-founder of Come Over October. \u201cOur lives are enriched by social connection; and social connection has no borders. It\u2019s fantastic to see Come Over October being embraced around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

THE INVITATION GOES INTERNATIONAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s 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 \u201cbring a friend\u201d tastings to community dinners and regional events.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something incredibly exciting about watching Come Over October cross borders and take on a local life of its own,\u201d said Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, co-founder of Come Over October and president of Charles Communications Associates. \u201cCanada and New Zealand are creating bespoke campaigns that resonate with their cultures and traditions, and that\u2019s the beauty of this concept. The invitation is universal, but how people gather is wonderfully personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

For New Zealand organizers, preserving that local character is essential. \u201cWe don\u2019t 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,\u201d said Eddy. \u201cEveryone 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE RETAILERS PUT COME OVER OCTOBER IN FRONT OF CONSUMERS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come Over October will also have a larger presence where consumers shop for wine this fall. Albertsons\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

Independent and regional retailers are getting behind the campaign as well, including Gary\u2019s Wine & Marketplace and Buy Rite New Jersey, bringing Come Over October into local communities and neighborhood wine shops.<\/p>\n

The continued retail adoption builds on previous Come Over October programs that have demonstrated the campaign\u2019s ability to create a shared occasion around wine while giving retailers and suppliers flexibility in how they activate it.<\/p>\n

\u201cRetail is where Come Over October can move from an idea people hear about to an occasion they actually participate in,\u201d said Gino Colangelo, co-founder of Come Over October and president of Colangelo & Partners. \u201cSeeing 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

GIVING CONSUMERS SOMETHING TO DO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Come Over October\u2019s recent Wine & Gathering Study <\/a>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.<\/p>\n

This fall, ComeOverOctober.com<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

A new partnership with BlindVine will introduce What\u2019s 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<\/a> is bringing campaign programming and events directly to its vast community of wine lovers as part of an expanded partnership this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve 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,\u201d said Barbara Fitzgerald, Executive Director of Come Over October. \u201cThat\u2019s shaped both the tools we\u2019ve developed and the partnerships we\u2019ve built this year. We\u2019re giving people things they can actually use, whether that\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s longstanding place in those moments.<\/p>\n

Consumers and members of the wine industry can find campaign resources, gathering ideas and 2026 programming at https:\/\/www.comeoveroctober.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ABOUT COME TOGETHER\u2014A COMMUNITY FOR WINE INC.<\/strong><\/p>\n

COME TOGETHER\u2014A 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\u2019s historic and contemporary role as a beverage that brings people together. For a full list of supporters and more information visit https:\/\/www.cometogetherforwine.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MEDIA CONTACTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kimberly Noelle Charles
\nkcharles@charlescomm.com<\/a>
\n415-701-WINE (9463)<\/p>\n

Barbara Fitzgerald
\nbarbara@cometogetherforwine.com
\n(415) 577-1938<\/p>\n

MULTIMEDIA:<\/strong>
\nCOO logo for media (PNG): https:\/\/www.comeoveroctober.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Full-logo-color-1-2048×536.png<\/a><\/p>\n

Come Together Logo for media (SVG): https:\/\/www.cometogetherforwine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/come-together-logo.svg<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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