Official Wine Days

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You probably don’t need an excuse to drink wine, but it’s nice to know that there’s so many official wine days to celebrate each year. Some even have official hashtags, which means they’re also super Instagrammable. Bookmark, pin, or save this list somewhere so you always have something to look forward to. 

Official Wine Days

Celebrating little occasions are a great way to make life more fun. You can plan a night out, or just pick up a bottle of these wine varieties to enjoy at home. If you’re new to wine drinking, or often don’t go far out of your comfort zone, use this as an excuse to sample some different varieties from around the world. 

There’s official wine days in every month of the year except for January and July. Pretty awesome, right? You can also look at your own local events for any wine festivals that might be going on in your area. 

What is the National Day of Wine?

Although there’s plenty of national wine drinking days, the National Day of Wine happens on May 25th. The origins of this unofficial holiday are murky, but you can find reference to it online as early as the year 2000. This isn’t to be confused with National Drink Wine Day, which takes place on February 18th each year. 

Official Wine Days in January

There’s, sadly, no official wine days in January. At least you can drink wine through December 31st to the early hours of January 1st without any judgement. Or if you can’t wait for August for Pinot Noir day, the winter is a great time to dive into those warm reds. 

Official Wine Days in February

The entire month of February is Delaware Wine Month. So, if you’re thinking of visiting Delaware, this is probably a great time to go! It helps that they have great weather this time of year, too. 

February 1st is International Furmint Day. If you’re wondering what that is, they’ve actually put together a whole website about it. The short version, though, is that Furmint is one of the most important grape varieties in Hungary. It’s used in certain dry and sweet dessert wines, like Aszú.

• Hashtag to use: #furmintday

February 18th is National Drink Wine Day. Mark your calendar for this one because it takes place on the same day every year. This would be a great excuse to unwind with your favourite bottle at home or to book a wine tasting trip holiday!

• Hashtag to use: #nationaldrinkwineday

The last Saturday of February is Open That Bottle Night. Just like a similar holiday I’ve made up, this one’s date changes. Plan to celebrate on February 27th for 2021 and the 26th in 2022. It was created back in 2000 by ‘Tastings’ columnists to encourage people to connect with friends and family over a bottle of wine. What a great excuse to dig into a bottle you were saving for a ‘special occasion’! 

• Hashtag to use: #OTBN

Official Wine Days in March

March 3rd is Mulled Wine Day. Mulled wine is usually a blend of red wine and rich spices like cloves and cinnamon. It’s a perfect drink for winter time, or in this case to warm you up when you’re getting just a little bit sick of winter. Pick up a bottle or consider making your own – it’s surprisingly easy! 

• Hashtag to use: #nationalmulledwineday but you can also include #mulledwine or #mulled

Official Wine Days in April

April 17th is Malbec World Day. It commemorates the day when the president of Argentina made it his mission to transform the Argentinian wine industry, which has since grown and been celebrated around the world. This international wine day has been slowly turning into a large festival that features both wine and Argentine culture. 

• Hashtag to use: #worldmalbecday or #malbec

Official Wine Days in May

May is Oregon Wine Month. Who knew the Oregon Trail would eventually lead to wine! Plan your Oregon vacation during May to take advantage of this wine celebration.

• Hashtag to use: #oregonwinemonth or use #oregonwine year round

International Sauvignon Blanc Day is celebrated each year in May. Although it’s named after the region in France where it originated, Sauvignon Blanc Day has actually been organized by the internationally celebrated New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc industry. 

• Hashtag to use: #sauvblancday

May 9th is Moscato Day. If sweet Italian wine is more your style then this national wine drinking day is for you. Open up a bottle of Moscato for dessert or head out to a wine bar to try different varieties.

• Hashtag to use: #NationalMoscatoDay

May 16th is the anniversary of an important Commerce Clause ruling about wine. Also known as Granholm v Heald., this ruling meant that wine could be directly shipped to consumers from wineries in and out of every US state. Prior to the May 16, 2005 ruling, wineries that could ship wine within their state could not do so to other states. So if you’ve ever ordered a bottle of wine shipped directly from a winery, you might want to thank Eleanor Heald. 

• Hashtag to use: #CAPLaw (Center for Alcohol Policy) or #openlocalwine would be good options

International Chardonnay Day is celebrated on the Thursday before Memorial Day in the US. The origins of this one are unclear, but it makes sense that it has American origins given the quality of Chardonnay that comes out of California. This is less an excuse to drink it and more a reason to celebrate this dry white variety.

• Hasgtags to use: #ChardonnayDay #NationalChardonnayDay #ChardDay #InternationalChardonnayDay

May 25th is National Day of Wine. This is probably the most widespread and well known of the official wine days. The perfect excuse to drink wine! (As if you needed one.)

• Hashtag to use: #NationalWineDay

Official Wine Days in June

June is both Idaho Wine Month and Ohio Wine Month so you’re covered regardless of which side of the USA you live on. 

National Rosé Day is the second Saturday in June each year. Usually made from red grapes, these versatile wines are some of the oldest varieties out there. Pick up a sweet or dry Rosé (depending on what you love) and celebrate outside on the patio. It’ll be June 12th in 2021 and June 11th in 2022, if you’re a ‘plan ahead’ type. Rosé, SVP!

Note: The Organisation International du Rosé officially lists International Rosé Day as the 4th Friday in June. To add to the confusion, the website Winegeeks declared August 14th National Rosé Day back in 2005. 

• Hashtag to use: #NationalRoséDay or #roseday

June 20th is International Drink Chenin Blanc Day was stated as a way to celebrate this unique variety of wine. It’s another one that started in France but was reinvigorated elsewhere; in this case, South Africa. It’s used to make sparkling and dessert wines. 

• Hashtag to use: #drinkchenin or #drinkcheninday

World Lambrusco Day happens on either June 20th or 21st each year. It coincides with the June Solstice, that’s why the day changes. If you really love Lambrusco you can actually celebrate all week long! It’s meant to bring awareness for Lambrusco, which is a unique wine with a low alcohol content and slight fizz.

• Hashtag to use: #LambruscoDay

International Cabernet Day

Official Wine Days in July

There’s no official wine days for the month of July, which is kind of depressing. If you want to celebrate, though, there’s several National holidays themed after mixed cocktails throughout the month of July. Since there’s no Mimosa day why not use July as an excuse to plan a nice boozy outdoor brunch with friends? 

Official Wine Days in August

August is Washington Wine Month. With a wine industry that started back in 1825 and over 31,000 acres of vineyards Washington is definitely a place to celebrate wine! 

August 1st to 5th is the International Albariño Wine Festival. Held in Cambados, Spain, this wine festival is totally worth checking out if you get the chance. Otherwise, pick up a bottle of Albariño (that’s now grown around the world) and celebrate with this dry white wine. 

• Hashtag to use: #AlbarinoFiesta

August 4th is National White Wine Day. Summer is the perfect time to enjoy a glass of white wine, so what better time to celebrate than in the summertime? Get some friends together and mix up some cocktails or enjoy it chilled. 

• Hashtags to use: #NationalWhiteWineDay and #whitewine

August 18th is International Pinot Noir Day. Rich and complex, Pinot Noir is definitely a wine worth celebrating. If you didn’t know, it actually gets the name from the Pinot Noir grapes that are cultivated to produce this wine. Enjoy it slightly chilled on a hot august evening. 

• Hashtag to use: #PinotNoirDay

Official Wine Days in September

In September you can celebrate wine in the states of California, Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina all month long! It makes sense because September is usually in the middle of wine harvest season. 

International Cabernet Day is celebrated on the Thursday before Labor Day each year. That means September 3rd, 2020, September 2nd, 2021, and September 1st in 2022. Cabernet Sauvignon is produced all over the world, so consider picking up a local wine to taste if you can.

• Hashtag to use: #CabernetDay

International Grenache Day is held on the 3rd Friday in September, so September 18th in 2020, 17th in 2021, and 16th in 2022. If you’re not familiar with it, Grenache is a unique red grape variety that’s helped shape Spanish and global wine making. Once popular, it’s a little less well known nowadays because it’s more difficult to grow than other grape varieties. Still, it’s perfectly suited for Spain’s hot dry climate, where 75,000 hectares are under cultivation. The international festival Grenaches du Monde is held around this time of year too.

• Hashtag to use: #grenacheday

Official Wine Days in October

The states of Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia are up for wine celebrations during October. Their warmer climates mean this is the perfect time to celebrate winemaking since it’s closer to their harvest season, but still nice enough for outdoor festivals and tours.

The second saturday in October is for International Pinotage Day. In 2020, celebrate on October 10th, followed by the 11th and 12th in 2021 and 2021. This wine actually originated in South Africa as a grape crossing between Cinsaut and Pinot Noir. Today it’s South Africa’s signature wine variety. Celebrate with this dry red wine with bold flavour and rich, sophisticated notes.

• Hashtag to use: #pinotageday

The second full week in October is Drink Local Wine Week. You probably don’t need an excuse to drink local wine (which is totally worth checking out if you can!), but definitely check if your area is celebrating in unique ways. 

• Hashtags to use: #DrinkLocal and any your local area/wineries are using!

October 16th is home to Global Champagne Awareness Day. This date seems to move each year, so make sure to double check that day! Although it’s a great excuse to drink champagne, it’s also to bring awareness for what champagne is (and isn’t).  

• Hashtag to use: #ChampagneDay

The Last Thursday in October is Carignan Day each year. For 2020, that means October 29th. Carginan was once popular, but is now making a comeback as farmers have evolved to modern winemaking. 

• Hashtag to use: #CarignanDay

Official Wine Days in November

November 1st is International Xinomavro Day. Rightfully so, it was created to bring awareness for the unique Xinomavro grapes that are used to create this wine variety. Enjoy a glass with dinner and eat something like pasta with cheese, mushroom dishes, or chicken. 

• Hashtag to use: #xinomavroday

November 7th is International Merlot Day. The rich flavours you get in every bottle of Merlot are definitely worth celebrating. As a red wine, it pairs easily with almost anything you’d be serving for dinner in November, but especially red meat and creamy or savory dishes.

• Hashtag to use: #merlotday

The first Saturday of the first full week in November is Wine Tourism Day. For 2020, that means November 7th. Seems like a good excuse to plan a wine-themed holiday or to go wine tasting in your area. 

• Hashtag to use: I couldn’t find an official one, but you could use #winetourism and #winetraveler.

November 12th is International Tempranillo Day each year. It’s a Spanish grape variety that’s grown all over Spain and Latin America. Although Tempranillo grapes ripen earlier than most grape varieties (hence their name), they’re especially spectacular in the fall when their leaves turn red. An uncommon phenomenon for grape foliage. That means November was a great choice for International Tempranillo Day.

• Hashtags to use: #tempranilloday or #tempranillo

November 20th is National Zinfandel Day. It’s not widely popular, but that’s why the day exists in the first place; to bring awareness to the Zinfandel grape variety. Use November 20th as an excuse to give this California wine a try (if you haven’t already.)

• Hashtags to use: #zinday or #zinfandelday

November 21st is Beaujolais Nouveau Day each year. It’s the perfect excuse to celebrate French wine if you can’t get your hands on a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. What makes Beaujolais Nouveau so special, anyway? The bottles are released just weeks after fermentation on the third Thursday of November. 

• Hashtags to use: #beaujolaisnouveau, #BoJoNuVo, and #beaujolaisnouveauday

November 24th marks Carménère Day every year to celebrate Chilean Carménère. Although (like most wines) it started in France, in recent years the Carménère grapes have found a suitable home growing in Chile’s climate. 

• Hashtag to use: #carmenereday

Official Wine Days in December

December 4th each year is Cabernet Franc Day. Even though it’s not super popular today, Cabernet Franc is actually one of the parents to the world renowned Cabernet Sauvignon. Why December 4th, you ask? It’s the anniversary of the death of Cardinal Richelieu, the man who is believed to have established Cabernet Franc in the Libournais region of France way back in the 17th century.

• Hashtag to use: #cabfrancday

December 5th is Repeal Day in the United States. It marks the end of a 13 year prohibition and marks the anniversary of when everyone was allowed to drink, legally, once again. I’ll toast to that! 

• Hashtag to use: #repealday

December 20th is National Sangria Day. Although these might be more of a summer drink for some, this national holiday is a perfect excuse to experiment with some wine cocktails. Perfect for your holiday entertaining! 

• Hashtag to use: #sangriaday or #nationalsangriaday

December 31st is National Champagne Day. Wait, didn’t we already do this one? Well, there’s too. It seems that the earlier one is more about awareness, where this one is appropriately a day worth celebrating with champagne. If that’s no in your budget, get some sparkling wine instead.

• Hashtag to use: #champagneday still works here, or you can use any New Year’s #tags

Now that you have a full year of wine drinking planned, it’s time to stock up your wine cellar with some of these unique wine varieties. Unfortunately, not every type of wine made the list – so maybe you should add a few unofficial official wine days to your calendar too.