15 Ways You Can Celebrate National Wine Day This Friday

You might be a big fan of drinking wine, but that hardly makes you an expert (I hate to break it to you, but it's true!). It's never too late to match your knowledge to your appetite, though, and National Wine Day is the perfect occasion to attend a wine class and do just that. Check out your neighborhood wine shop to see if they offer classes.

Guests at a traditional potluck party will each be responsible for bringing a favorite edible dish to share with friends. Why not apply the same principle to vino? Ask each of your pals to come over with a bottle of wine they love. Be sure to provide some light snacks so that the guests aren't drinking on an empty stomach.

If you live near a vineyard, National Wine Day is a golden opportunity to gather up your fellow wine lovers and go for an official tasting. You may not be close to a well-known winery, but you might still consider supporting a local or family-owned business.

I, for one, rarely spend more than about $15 on a bottle of wine. If it's a special occasion, I spring for an $18 option. Fancy, I know. Sound familiar? Definitely no judgment here. Since it's National Wine Day, we all have a great excuse to go for a slightly pricier wine, whether it's to share or enjoy at home.

Celebrate the special day by taking your wine-drinking outside of your home and into a unique environment. Get the gang together and pay a visit to that cool-looking wine bar that you've passed a million times and never actually stepped inside.

Cuddle up (with a glass of wine, of course) and lose yourself in a great wine-related read. You might go for something informational like Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine or something that's more narrative-based but wine-adjacent, such as We're Going to Need More Wine or Sweetbitter.

There might not be a vineyard or winery in your area, but that doesn't meant you can't get a taste of (see what I did there?) the fun of a wine tasting. Invite your friends over for a casual night of enjoying different types of grapes. The wines you serve don't need to be fancy or expensive — it's all about the experience! Set out information about each of the wines you're offering, along with some light bites that will pair well with the drinks.

Wine glasses looking a little grimy? Corkscrew no longer corking properly? Now is the time to restock your wine-related kitchen supplies.

If you're like me, you tend not to feature wine in a lot of your cooking, but National Wine Day is a great excuse to change that. Shake things up by researching recipes that incorporate wine. You might like it so much that they end up as part of your regular rotation!

Your National Wine Day celebration could be as simple as experimenting — just once! — with your wine selection. If you usually go for white, try a red. If you almost always order red, pour yourself a bottle of rosé (it is almost summer, after all). You'll never know for sure what you like best until you expand your horizons.

You'd be shocked by the number of crafts out there made primarily with recycled corks or wine bottles. Take a deep dive on Pinterest for ideas and prepare to give new life to the evidence of drinks gone by that you have lying around the house.

Few things feel more luxurious than drinking a wine slushie, but the truth is that making one yourself isn't very difficult! All it takes is a combination of frozen fruit, wine, and maybe even a little sugar. Yum!

Spread the love this National Wine Day by picking up a bottle (or two!) for the wine lovers in your life. If all of your loved ones are already fully stocked, consider gifting them with a wine book, wine tags, or travel-safe glasses to get them psyched for boozy summer picnics.

There are lots of quarterly or monthly wine clubs and subscriptions out there that will help you expand your grape-y horizons well beyond National Wine Day. Why not get yourself a membership? You'll want to do plenty of research to make sure you're choosing one that fits your needs and budget, but Winc, Hello Fresh Wine, and Blue Apron Wine might be good places to start.

We all have that bottle of wine sitting in the refrigerator or in the back of the cabinet that we've been telling ourselves is meant for a special occasion. You could spend months — or years! — waiting for the perfect moment to open it, but why waste time? Enjoy it today!