'We Just Need a Reason to Come Together and Drink Wine:' Survey

Nearly half (41%) of respondents said having a specific occasion or reason to gather, such as Come Over October, would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine. That's according to a national survey for Come Over October and LocalWineEvents.com.

The 2026 Wine & Gathering Study included 1,553 respondents across two surveys. Among the findings:

Wine is already a regular part of respondents' social lives: 61% said wine is “almost always” part of their social get-togethers and another 21% said it is often, but not always. Interest in Come Over October was also strong: 55% of all survey respondents opted to receive more information about hosting a Come Over October gathering.
When asked what would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine, 44% selected easy recipe and food-pairing ideas, 41% selected a specific occasion or reason to gather, and 32% selected wine recommendations for different budgets or occasions.
77% said busy schedules and finding a time that works for everyone prevent them from seeing friends and family as often as they would like. Distance was cited by 40%, the cost of going out by 33%, and the effort of hosting at home by 24%.

What Wine Brings to the Picture

The study also explored whether the presence of wine affected how consumers perceived the same social scene. The answer was that it did. “This gets to the heart of why we created Come Over October,” said Karen MacNeil, co-founder of Come Togethernd author of The Wine Bible. “When people think about sharing wine with friends, they think about fun, conversation, friendship and connection. Those are deeply human experiences. Sometimes just inviting someone to ‘Come over’ is all the reason you need.”

In the two surveys, respondents were shown versions of the same dinner image — one group saw guests drinking wine, the other saw them drinking water. Those shown the wine version were more likely to describe the people as close or old friends (48% vs. 38%), the atmosphere as warm and relaxed (73% vs. 65%), the occasion as special or memorable (25% vs. 16%), and the gathering as generous and well-hosted (21% vs. 13%).

The differences were statistically significant on those four measures, although the effect was modest; yet, these findings suggest an association between the presence of wine and perceptions of social connection.

Respondents’ own words reinforce that picture. When participants were asked the first word or phrase that came to mind when thinking about sharing wine with friends, “fun” was the most frequently used word, while variations of “good time” appeared roughly 100 times. Friendship, connection and togetherness emerged as the second-largest broader theme, followed by relaxation and ease. Taken together, relational themes including friendship, connection, warmth, conversation, sharing and affection appeared in roughly one-third of responses.

Connection in a Cost-Conscious Economy

KPMG’s 2026 Consumer Pulse survey found that 67% of U.S. consumers are eating at home more often than dining out, with 76% of those consumers citing budget constraints as a primary reason.

The Come Over October survey, conducted among a highly wine-engaged audience, shows a more mixed picture: 26.49% said they are going out to restaurants or bars less often than they did a year ago, while 28.84% said they are getting together with friends and family at home more instead.

At the same time, respondents continue to spend money on social occasions. Nearly three-quarters (73%) said a typical get-together away from home costs them $31 or more per person. More than half (57%) get together at a local restaurant or bar at least monthly, while 23% visit a winery, tasting room or winery event at least monthly, with another 42% doing so several times a year.

The surveys cannot establish that wine consumers are protecting spending on wine experiences relative to other discretionary purchases; however, taken together, the findings suggest that economic pressures may be changing how this wine-engaged audience socializes rather than eliminating its appetite for shared experiences.

pondents across two surveys. Among the findings:

· Wine is already a regular part of respondents' social lives: 61% said wine is “almost always” part of their social get-togethers and another 21% said it is often, but not always. Interest in Come Over October was also strong: 55% of all survey respondents opted to receive more information about hosting a Come Over October gathering.

· When asked what would make them more likely to host a gathering with wine, 44% selected easy recipe and food-pairing ideas, 41% selected a specific occasion or reason to gather, and 32% selected wine recommendations for different budgets or occasions.

· 77% said busy schedules and finding a time that works for everyone prevent them from seeing friends and family as often as they would like. Distance was cited by 40%, the cost of going out by 33%, and the effort of hosting at home by 24%.

What Wine Brings to the Picture

The study also explored whether the presence of wine affected how consumers perceived the same social scene. The answer was that it did. “This gets to the heart of why we created Come Over October,” said Karen MacNeil, co-founder of COME TOGETHER and author of The Wine Bible. “When people think about sharing wine with friends, they think about fun, conversation, friendship and connection. Those are deeply human experiences. Sometimes just inviting someone to ‘Come over’ is all the reason you need.”

Perceptions of the same social scene: wine image vs. water image

Connection in a Cost-Conscious Economy

KPMG’s 2026 Consumer Pulse survey found that 67% of U.S. consumers are eating at home more often than dining out, with 76% of those consumers citing budget constraints as a primary reason. The Come Over October survey, conducted among a highly wine-engaged audience, shows a more mixed picture: 26.49% said they are going out to restaurants or bars less often than they did a year ago, while 28.84% said they are getting together with friends and family at home more instead.

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