National Wine Day: The Holiday We Actually Deserve

Let’s start with the obvious: National Wine Day is not a real holiday. You don’t get time off work. There are no cards, no decorations, no saccharine ads telling you to hug your mum or buy jewellery. There’s just wine. And honestly? That’s the dream.

Held annually on 25th May (because someone, somewhere decided that spring was the right time to unleash nationwide Pinot-fuelled chaos), National Wine Day is an unregulated, beautifully low-effort celebration of everything fermented and fabulous. No parades. No mandatory Zoom calls. Just you, a bottle, and your increasingly shaky reasoning for opening it at 2pm.

Who started it? No one knows. And more importantly: no one cares. Like all the best traditions — brunch, Sunday roasts, pretending rosé is hydrating — it simply exists. It likely sprouted from the internet, fertilised by memes and marketing teams who realised people would drink more wine if they thought it was for a cause.

And it worked.

Wineries now promote it. Influencers pretend they just happened to be sipping a chilled Sancerre by the pool that day. You feel slightly better about your third glass because technically, it’s in honour of something.

In short: it’s the one day of the year where you can pretend your borderline alcoholism is an act of patriotism.

How to Pretend You Knew It Was Coming

If you’re reading this mid-hangover on the 26th, don’t worry — there’s always next year. But for those of us preparing in advance (or pretending we are), here’s how to make it look like you had National Wine Day on your calendar since January.

Step 1: Act casual.
Nothing screams amateur like being too excited. The vibe is

“Oh yeah, I totally knew. That’s why I already had this bottle of Barolo lying around,” not “I cleared my schedule and made a mood board.”

Step 2: Use words like “celebrating” and “observing.”
You’re not “day drinking.” You’re observing a national tradition. Bonus points if you mention terroir and forget how to pronounce it halfway through.

Step 3: Post something vaguely artistic.
A stemmed glass on a sunlit windowsill. A cork mid-pop. A moody photo of your wine-stained teeth. Add a caption like “Giving thanks the only way I know how” or “Happy #NationalWineDay to those who observe.” You’ll look cultured. Or at least like you read labels.

Step 4: Make it a group thing.
Drinking alone on a weekday? Tragic. Hosting a “National Wine Day tasting” for friends? Classy. (Even if it’s just you, your houseplants, and a cheese board from the corner shop.)

Bottom line: National Wine Day is your chance to rebrand poor decisions as festive ones. Don’t waste it.

Perfect Wines for Every Kind of Drinker

Wine is inclusive. Whether you’re a cork-sniffing sommelier or someone who still calls it “red or white,” there’s a bottle for you on National Wine Day. Here’s the breakdown:

For the ‘I Just Like What I Like’ crowd:
Boxed wine. And that’s okay. Don’t let the bottle snobs judge. Today is about quantity and quality — and if your fridge-dwelling Pinot Grigio in a plastic tap box brings you joy, pour away.

For the Pretentious-but-Kind:
You’ve brought a chilled natural wine with a label that looks like student art. It smells a bit funky. No one else likes it, but you keep saying things like

“Oh, the minerality is just singing today.”

Carry on, king/queen of vibes.

For the Actual Wine Nerds:
You’ve chosen a back-vintage Rioja or some obscure amphora-aged Georgian red that you keep cellaring (read: forgetting) for special occasions. This is the occasion. Open it. You’re allowed.

For the Sweet Tooths:
Moscato, off-dry Riesling, Lambrusco. You’ll get judged. And you’ll be too happy to care.

For the Champagne-But-Not-Today Crowd:
Try Crémant. Or Prosecco. Or just whatever’s sparkling and cold. Bubbles are festive and have the added benefit of making your laugh funnier and your group chat spicier.

No wrong answers. Just wine and vibes. If it ends in “blanc” or sounds vaguely Italian, it counts.

National Wine Day Etiquette: Sip, Swirl, Don’t Be That Person

There are rules. Or rather, there should be. Wine may be about pleasure and personal expression, but that doesn’t mean we abandon all sense of decency just because it’s National Wine Day.

Rule 1: Don’t swirl like you’re casting a spell.
We get it. You’ve seen Sideways. You’ve watched people do the whole glass-spin thing. But this is wine, not a tornado simulation. Gently. Subtly. Preferably without spilling on your friend’s cat.

Rule 2: Avoid unsolicited wine-splaining.
If someone says they love a certain wine, don’t respond with “Oh, interesting…” followed by a 14-minute history of phylloxera. Let people enjoy things. Even if it’s Whispering Angel.

Rule 3: Stay hydrated.
Wine is fun. Dehydration is not. You can still be a functional human with a litre of tap water between glasses. No, this doesn’t make you weak. It makes you able to finish your sentence by 9pm.

Rule 4: Don’t bring wine no one wants to drink.
This is not the time for that bottle of cloying dessert wine your aunt gave you in 2014. Bring something you’d actually drink. Unless, of course, you’re just trying to get rid of it. In which case… strategic.

Rule 5: Tip your servers.
If you’re out and about, remember — your £9 glass of Pinot comes with a human who’s been dealing with people like you since noon. Don’t be stingy.

Celebrate. But don’t be the reason someone starts drinking again after their shift.

Pairing Your Bottle With Whatever You Have in the Fridge

Let’s be honest. You didn’t meal-prep for National Wine Day. You probably forgot it was coming until someone posted a cork pop on Instagram and now you’re halfway through a bottle of Shiraz wondering what goes with hummus and microwave noodles.

Good news: wine is versatile. Great news: so is your fridge, if you squint a little.

Cheddar?
Congratulations, you’re already winning. A bold red like Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon will turn that humble block of cheese into an experience. Add crackers? You’re a sommelier now.

Leftover takeaway?
Sauvignon Blanc with last night’s Thai. Riesling with your forgotten sweet-and-sour chicken. Pizza? Chianti. You’re welcome.

Salami, three olives, and half a Babybel?
Tapas. That’s tapas now.

Nothing but a sad bag of rocket and one questionable egg?
Fine. Skip the food. Turn that into your “cleanse” and pour another glass. Wine doesn’t judge. Why should you?

Also, remember the golden rule: if it tastes good, it pairs well. You don’t need a food and wine pairing chart — you need curiosity, low lighting, and friends too polite to comment. National Wine Day is not about precision. It’s about improvisation.

Besides, wine tastes better when your standards are lower. That’s just science.

Instagram It or It Didn’t Happen

It’s 2025. If you celebrated National Wine Day and didn’t post about it, did it even count?

But beware: wine content online is a minefield. Do it right, and you’re a lifestyle goddess. Do it wrong, and you’re just the sixth “cheers” boomerang of the day with a greasy fingerprint on the lens.

Here’s how to serve looks with your Sauvignon:

1. Glassware matters.
Nobody wants to see wine in a mug. Get that glass with a proper stem, ideally one that catches sunlight like a vintage perfume ad. Bonus points for droplets of condensation and a blurry golden hour background.

2. Flat lay, but make it tipsy.
Arrange your bottle, corkscrew, some vaguely edible nibbles, and your copy of a book you’re not actually reading. Add a linen napkin for texture. Tilt the camera like you’re casually brilliant.

3. Caption wisely.
Avoid “Rosé all day” unless you want to be muted by everyone you went to uni with. Try something mysterious like “Tasting notes: chaos and crushed berries.” Or go seasonal: “Observing National Wine Day with the usual grace and Grenache.”

4. Don’t overshare.
No one needs to see bottle six. Or your attempt to open a screwcap with pliers. Be selective. Be chic. And for God’s sake, don’t tag your boss.

Celebrate, document, post, hydrate. In that order.

How Other Countries Celebrate (Or Pretend to Be More Sophisticated)

While we’re over here clinking glasses and eating crisps out of the bag with Pinot Noir, how do the rest of the world’s civilised wine-drinkers observe National Wine Day?

Let’s take a quick spin around the globe.

France
Laughs in Bordeaux. They don’t celebrate “National Wine Day” because every day is wine day. But they’ll quietly sip a €4 Syrah, judge your pronunciation of “Châteauneuf,” and still be in bed by 10. Elegant, condescending, efficient.

Italy
They don’t need a national wine day either, because they’ve institutionalised it into lunch. Wine is served with food, water, family drama, and the general air of emotional intensity. But if you tell them it’s your “special holiday,” they’ll pour you something Tuscan and mutter something nice about your complexion.

USA
Oh, they go big. Instagram stories, Napa promotions, discount rosé, wine-pun merch. “Sip Happens” T-shirts and boxed wine pyramids abound. It’s cheerful chaos, usually involving barbecue and someone spilling Pinot on their dog.

Germany
Drink Riesling. Eat sausage. Pretend not to understand your drunk texts. Very structured. Slightly terrifying.

Australia
Too busy wrestling kangaroos and grilling to bother with dates. But if there’s wine around, it will be Shiraz and someone will absolutely call it “a ripper.” National Wine Day here is just… Tuesday.

Bottom line: every country drinks. Only a few need an excuse. But on this day, they all nod in collective tipsy approval.

Final Sip: Why National Wine Day Is the Most Honest Holiday Around

Let’s not sugar-coat it: most holidays are just marketing ploys with costumes. But National Wine Day? It doesn’t pretend to be noble. It isn’t dressed in traditions or gift guides. It doesn’t ask you to give back, send cards, or pretend you’re not annoyed at your family.

It just asks one thing: Have a drink. You’ve earned it.

And maybe that’s why it feels different. In a world where everything is overbranded and overthought, National Wine Day is gloriously simple. There’s no pomp. No politics. Just people raising glasses to the grape, however they take it — from Burgundy to Black Box, from delicate Pinot to screw-top Shiraz.

So whether you’re a wine nerd with a temperature-controlled cabinet or just someone cracking open a supermarket Malbec after work, this holiday is for you. There’s no gatekeeping. No test to pass. Just pour, sip, and breathe a little easier.

Because in the end, the best kind of celebration isn’t perfect. It’s poured generously, laughed through loudly, and remembered vaguely.

Here’s to the only national holiday that knows what we really need.
Cheers.