Wine Industry Advisor
by Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET
This fall, the inaugural Come Over October campaign (COO), which was conceived in response to the growing anti-alcohol movement, is launching with gusto as the wine industry responds enthusiastically to this unifying concept. COO is the brainchild of Karen MacNeil, noted author of The Wine Bible, together with co-founders Gino Colangelo of Colangelo & Partners and me, Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications Associates.
By encouraging wine drinkers to invite friends, colleagues and family to “come over” to share some wine, Come Over October (COO) honors wine’s history as a communal beverage that brings people together. As of this publication date, more than 70 organizations — including wineries, wine associations, retailers, trade groups, destination management groups, other tourism organizations and non-alcoholic brands — have jumped on board. More than $100,000 in cash and in-kind donations has been pledged and the campaign is just getting started.
Events focused on Come Over October can be listed on LocalWineEvents.com at a dedicated page www.localwineevents.com/come-over-october
Wine With Our Family
by Marla Durben Hirsch
There’s been press about how some public health authorities and others have issued anti-alcohol warnings and recommended that people cut back on their alcohol consumption or stop drinking altogether.
Wine is an alcoholic beverage. But arguably wine holds a special role in history and culture and has a unique ability to draw people together.
A new campaign, called “Come Over October” strives to remind people of wine’s positive role and that sharing wine counteracts the epidemic level of loneliness, isolation, and division we’re currently experiencing. The campaign is the first of a new program called Come Together: A Community for Wine, created in May 2024 by three wine industry professionals, wine writer Karen MacNeil, author of the Wine Bible, Gino Colangelo, president of Colangelo & Partners, and Kimberly Noelle Charles, DipWSET, founder and president of Charles Communications Associates.
OfftheVinePr.com
by Off The Vine PR
Discover a world of food and drink events anywhere you choose with LocalWineEvents.com. For the past twenty years, this incredible site has been connecting foodies and wine lovers with happenings around the globe, and if you're discovering the site today, you're in for a treat!
Dan's Papers
by Harry Powers
Did You Know That: Localwineevents.com is a post-it-yourself site for wine, food, spirits and beer events. It’s the no.1 online resource for consumers searching for food and drink events local to them. It’s free to search as well as for businesses to post. Or you could read this column religiously!
The Courier of Montgomery County
by Ron Saikowski / Wine Walk
Our normal social ways are coming together after two years of “distance socializing” and mask wearing. Wine has always been a social thing and is so much better when it is shared with family and friends. We have sequestered ourselves for the last two years with something missing.
It just did not feel the same when you were “Zooming” in on a wine tasting. It is great to be back together finally again! We have started looking for the wine tastings and wine/food events again and making plans to share with family and friends. One of my favorite websites to go to in order to find out about these wonderful events is www.localwineevents.com. During the pandemic, this website accepted a few in-person events but most were electronic wine visits.
Sarasota Magazine
by Bob McGinn
The past year has been devastating for restaurants, hotels and other hospitality venues, and many continue to struggle. However, some dining establishments have found success banding together in marketing groups such as the Sarasota-Manatee Originals, which recently organized the Forks & Corks Food and Wine Festival, and with programs like Visit Sarasota County’s Savor Sarasota. To attract the largest number of potential attendees and minimize expenses, both organizations and many other restaurants and wine bars sent their messages through LocalWineEvents.com. The unique website hosts the largest posting of wine events in the world, with between 5,000 and 6,000 listings each week. Events are posted by the host, and organized by city or region. The website is loaded with info about events, trips and educational opportunities, and blog posts and articles that are all wine-related. It even has a section dedicated to trade events.
The Wine Curmudgeon Podcast
by Jeff Siegel
Jeff Siegel, (aka The Wine Curmudgeon) is known for his honest, straightforward wine writing, but did you know he also has a podcast? He sure does, and Eric V. Orange, CEO of LocalWineEvents.com was his recent guest. In this 17 minute episode, Jeff and Eric discussed how we powered through the last year, online bourbon, ZOOM fatigue, virtual wine education's future, the return of face-to-face tastings, and what we think the post-pandemic world of food and drink has in store for us. They covered a lot in a short time.
Sarasota Magazine
by Bob McGinn
Yes, wine tastings are back, but not the crowded, elbow-to-elbow, stretch-your-arm-for-a-miniscule-sample wine tastings. No, I refer to the innovative, consumer-oriented, structured tastings now being offered at some of our favorite wine and food destinations. For similar events in St. Pete and Tampa, check out localwineevents.com.
Forbes
by Thomas Pellechia
Eric V. Orange was hanging commercial sheetrock in Wichita, Kansas, when a friend enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York offered him a place to stay and look for work. The work Orange found was at Millbrook Vineyards, a Hudson Valley winery, which had been started by John S. Dyson, who as Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets was instrumental in the New York Farm Winery Act of 1976.
Sarasota Magazine
by Bob Mcginn
I’ve worked in the wine world for decades, so I’ve been a member of numerous wine social clubs and actually formed a few. Why join a club? Wine is a social beverage, and enjoying it with others enhances the experience. The premise behind these gatherings—whether they’re in a home or in a store—is to arrange a wine tasting for people with various levels of wine experience and aid everyone in becoming more knowledgeable. Wine clubs can be loosely structured, where a speaker describes a certain wine and the group discusses it, or they can be more structured, where rating sheets are issued and members analyze and critique various aspects of the wine. You might find yourself in a debate in the latter type of club, but both groups encourage harmony, and attendees get to know each other quickly. Many become friends. Many wine tasting groups start with retail store tastings. Like-minded individuals meet at a store, then start meeting in someone’s home or restaurant to taste and discuss wine. Local wine shops such as Michael’s Wine Cellar, Total Wine and ABC still offer these tastings and they are well attended. Now there are sites like Meetup or Local Wine Events to allow organized tastings even more accessibility. Meetup listings in Sarasota include Social Lovers Wine Group, Bacchus Meetup Group, and Gulf Gate Village Socialites.