Wine-engaged respondents cite busy diaries over cost as barrier to gathering, survey finds

What happened

A study of wine-engaged consumers found that wine is a regular part of their social get-togethers, and that scheduling was the most cited barrier to meeting. The 2026 Wine & Gathering Study was released on 24 August 2026 in a release datelined St. Helena, California, and republished by Wine Industry Advisor.

Of the respondents, 61 per cent said wine is almost always part of their social get-togethers, and a further 21 per cent said it is often, though not always. The study included 1,553 respondents across two surveys.

Time outranked money among the barriers reported. Some 77 per cent said busy schedules and finding a time that works for everyone prevent them from seeing friends as often as they would like. Distance was cited by 40 per cent, the cost of going out by 33 per cent and the effort of hosting at home by 24 per cent.

Habits had also shifted for some. Some 26.49 per cent said they are going to restaurants or bars less often than a year ago, and 28.84 per cent said they are getting together with friends and family at home more instead.

On hosting, 44 per cent selected easy recipe and food-pairing ideas, 41 per cent selected a specific occasion or reason to gather, and 32 per cent selected wine recommendations for different budgets or occasions.

Some 55 per cent of all respondents opted to receive more information about hosting a Come Over October gathering.

The sample is narrow. The release describes a highly wine-engaged audience drawn from LocalWineEvents.com's network, and says the surveys cannot establish that wine consumers are protecting spending on wine experiences. A full report was described as due soon on the Come Over October website.

This account rests on the organisers' own release as republished by a trade site, and the figures have not been independently checked.