National Wine Day – Tuesday, May 25 – is almost here! The one time a year when it’s perfectly OK to drink wine with breakfast, and even for breakfast! It’s a magical time filled with gifts and candy and costumes. Or it can be! As long as the gifts are wine, the candy is wine flavored, and the costumes are wine inspired. Read on for three fun ideas for celebrating this magical holiday.

And don’t forget to stop by the Olympus Encantada office between 3 and 5 PM for a free mini bottle – the perfect wine appetizer between lunch wine and dinner wine!

Throw a Soiree

Drinking is always better – and healthier – when you’re not alone. But do your friends all have their shots? If not, it’s easy to make this a socially distanced event. Just take it outside! Head for your private balcony or patio.

You can simply use National Wine Day as an excuse to gather with friends, or you can make it all about the wine! Invite friends to each bring an unfamiliar bottle – perhaps something recommended by their favorite wine merchant – and then do a tasting. Be sure to provide cheese and crackers or popcorn for people to cleanse their palates. The best wine is the winner! Yay.

Host a Paint & Sip

Another party idea, this one involves everyone drinking wine and painting pictures. For this get-together, the type – and even the quality – of wine isn’t all that important. A 4-liter jug of Carlo Rossi will do. And you don’t have to paint, either. Cleaning up after a bunch of intoxicated people gesticulating wildly with wet paintbrushes in their hands might not be a lot of fun. Colored pencils may be a better choice! Colored pencils and something that’s barely wine. Now that’s a party!

Do a Theme Dinner!

Instead of drinking wine for every meal, you could actually eat food and drink wine alongside it. One idea is an Italian-themed event. Make a big meal of classic Italian favorites like garlic bread, pasta, marinara, and meatballs, and wash it all down with a delicious Chianti. Or go Greek and enjoy pita, hummus, dolmas, and grilled fish or meat, matched with an assyrtiko, moschofilero, or agiorgitiko. There are plenty of other options, too! Spanish tapas and wine would also be a delicious option, as would Japanese food and sake. Or go American. We make plenty of outstanding wines right here, and your local wine merchant can surely recommend one or two that would go great with a burger.

Now that you’ve successfully celebrated National Wine Day, you’re all warmed up for the other important upcoming holidays! June 4 is National Cognac Day, June 14 is National Bourbon Day, June 19 is National Martini Day, and then we get into all the summer holidays, featuring all kinds of fruity and refreshing libations. In other words, you should probably start pounding water NOW. Stick with the Olympus Encantada blog for more ways to celebrate these important national holidays.