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Come Over October Ends Wine Advocacy Campaign

- The largest pro-wine consumer campaign concludes with an unprecedented record of success -

ST. HELENA, Calif., Nov. 9, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Come Over October™, the pro-wine advocacy movement from Come Together A Community for Wine, that encouraged consumers to come together by sharing wine, has ended after an impactful three-year run. The campaign reached 3.8 billion media impressions, 7.5 million on social media, and was activated in over 2,000 retail stores with an estimated reach of 14 million consumers in the United States. Come Over October was a pro-bono effort by its three founders: Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, and communications professionals Kimberly Noelle Charles and Gino Colangelo.

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Come Over October Ends Wine Advocacy Campaign

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- The largest pro-wine consumer campaign concludes with an unprecedented record of success -

ST. HELENA, Calif., Nov. 9, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Come Over October™, the pro-wine advocacy movement from Come Together A Community for Wine, that encouraged consumers to come together by sharing wine, has ended after an impactful three-year run. The campaign reached 3.8 billion media impressions, 7.5 million on social media, and was activated in over 2,000 retail stores with an estimated reach of 14 million consumers in the United States. Come Over October was a pro-bono effort by its three founders: Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, and communications professionals Kimberly Noelle Charles and Gino Colangelo.

The campaign, conceived in early 2024, provided the international wine community at large with a free platform and ready-to-use assets for promoting wine as a tool for social engagement.

“Come Over October was based on a simple, powerful, and undeniable idea: that wine brings us together,” said Karen MacNeil. “When Kimberly, Gino, and I began, we felt that a critical part of wine’s story wasn’t being told. We decided to devote ourselves to changing the anti-wine narrative and help the industry we love.”

Hundreds of wineries, wine companies, importers, distributors, retailers, trade groups, and wine media participated in the campaign. “By reaching millions of consumers, we began a movement that now is being embraced in a wide fashion, both here in the US and abroad,” said Kimberly Noelle Charles. “The industry continues to face enormous challenges but Come Over October has been a ‘bright light’ and an invitation that resonated strongly with the trade and consumers.”

Come Over October and its sister campaign Share & Pair Sundays were funded with industry contributions, some as small as $500. “On a tiny budget, we were able to create a huge impact,” said Gino Colangelo. “When we began, we had no ‘end date’ in sight, but the campaigns have unfortunately run out of funding. That said, we are still prepared, after investing so much of our personal equity in COO, to support the wine advocacy work of others with our expertise and experience.” Upon request and at the discretion of Karen, Kimberly and Gino, the COO and SPS assets will remain available for use by the industry.

More than 200 wineries participated in Come Over October and Share & Pair Sundays, along with leading importers, distributors, and wine retailers, as well as major chains such as Kroger, Total Wine & More and Albertson’s. The campaigns benefitted from strong media in leading publications and news outlets.

Additionally, publishers in the industry stepped forward with complimentary ads, both print and digital, including The Wine Enthusiast, Somm Journal, Tasting Panel, The Wine Spectator, VinePair, Wine Industry Network, Wine Folly, Wine Industry Advisor, Shanken News Daily and Wine Business Monthly. Localwineevents.com also contributed with tailored outreach campaigns, social media activations and was a survey partner in a wide-reaching consumer study on the role of wine in culture.

In a joint promotion with WineAmerica, Come Over October also hosted a press conference and wine tasting for Congress members, their staff and the media in Washington DC.

The three founders expressed regret over the campaign’s ending. “We built incredible momentum, putting wind into the wine industry sails during a challenging time,” said MacNeil. “We hope the enduring message of continuing to ‘Come Over’ resonates with consumers well beyond October and the ensuing holiday season.”

To learn more about the campaigns, visit @comeoveroctober and @shareandpairsundays on Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Karen MacNeil karen@karenmacneil.com 707-963-1146

Kimberly Noelle Charles kcharles@charlescomm.com 415-701-9463

Gino Colangelo gcolangelo@colangelopr.com 646-403-0146

IMAGE link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/26-1109-s2p-coologos-300dpi.webp


NEWS SOURCE: COME TOGETHER - A Community for Wine Inc.


Keywords: Wines and Vineyards, come over october, share and pair sundays, international wine community, Come Together A Community for Wine, ST. HELENA, Calif.


This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (COME TOGETHER - A Community for Wine Inc.) who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P139847 APDF15TBLLI

To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/come-over-october-ends-wine-advocacy-campaign/

© 2026 Send2Press® Newswire, a press release distribution service, Calif., USA.

Disclaimer: This press release content was not created by nor issued by the Associated Press (AP). Content below is unrelated to this news story.

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