In the beginning there was “Come together – a community for wine” created in May 2024 by three American professionals of the wine business, the journalist Karen MacNeil and the Public Relations and communication consultants Kimberly Noell Charles, DipWSET, and Gino Colangelo.
Karene, Kimberly and Gino saw how the image of wine in culture and society was becoming tarnished following a completely negative narrative. Conversely, their belief is that wine should be consumed in moderation and in this way has a positive role in pairing with food and in cultivating friendship and interpersonal relationships.
“Come together – a community for wine” therefore wants to be a meeting place for wine practitioners and enthusiasts from all over the world. A place and a tool to tell how wine can bring people together and to develop initiatives that communicate its values.
This is where “Come Over October” comes from, a communication campaign focused mainly, but not exclusively, on the US market to “respond”, also in name, to “Sober October”.
“Come Over October” is a campaign that wants to encourage friends, family and colleagues to get together during the month of October through the sharing of wine, celebrating friendship and connection between people.
It is an open campaign, in the sense that it invites all wine lovers, producers, restaurateurs, trade operators, opinion leaders, to take an active part by organizing situations in which people can get together by sharing a glass of wine.
For this reason, on the site comeoveroctober.com many materials have been made available free of charge, including:
– Suggestions for organizing themed evenings with your friends. Have you ever thought about a tasting of wines produced by famous athletes? Or the pairing of Sparklings & Burgers?
– Tips for choosing, pairing and storing wine.
– Free downloadable graphic materials for organizing wine events in clubs.
– Key messages to communicate the positive aspects of wine consumed in moderation and responsibility.
To better understand the idea of “Come Over October” we asked Gino Colangelo.
What is Come Over October?
Come Over October is a consumer-focused, consumer-friendly campaign to celebrate all of the things we love about wine. Wine brings people together: It’s social, cultural, historical, sustainable and good economics for rural communities around the world.
What are the institutions and people involved in the initiative?
Companies and organizations throughout the wine value chain, over 75 in total and new ones every day, are supporting Come Over October. We have producers, trade organizations, importers, distributors, retailers, restaurant owners — everybody who has a stake in a healthy wine business. A complete list can be found on our company website.
Which is the idea behind Come Over October?
The idea is to celebrate what we love about wine and change the current narrative in popular culture / media from negative (wine is ‘unhealthy’) to positive (wine is part of culture and to be enjoyed in moderation).
What are the goals you aim to?
We want to begin to change young people’s perceptions and help them appreciate wine for all of the reasons above. We want to bring people together over a glass of wine during this time of a loneliness epidemic and during a time when politics and social issues are driving people apart.
How has it been received so far?
The wine industry has been overwhelmingly supportive. I think companies and organizations have been looking for a banner under which they can rally and Come Over October offers that. Everybody we speak to wants to get involved and asks how they can activate the campaign and how they can help.
