This article is now updated with International Wine Days for 2022 – read more here.
We’ve put together the list of International Wine Days for 2021 to guide you through a year celebrating your favourite wines. This list isn’t exhaustive. There are over 10,000 grape varieties in the world so there are a lot of amazing wines to celebrate. We’ve highlighted a couple of key days for each month. You can think of it as a drinking guide and perhaps a chance to try something new.
I started the year with a completely Dry January so I was looking forward to International Furmint Day on 1 February. Furmint isn’t a grape I know particularly well. It’s a white grape grown most widely in Hungary. It did feature on my WSET Level 2 course last year. It’s a grape that’s very susceptible to botrytis and that makes it ideal for making sweet wines. Therefore the example we tried was a sweet wine from Tokaji. Spotting International Furmint Day sent me out on a hunt for a dry Furmint. I was thrilled to discover a wine that the maker described as ‘one of the most lean and mineral Furmints in the history of Dobogo dry wines. It was a real treat. The ideal first glass of wine after a month off.
I’ve consulted a number of different lists and some of the dates do seem a bit flexible. It might be due to a bit of confusion between National and International days. However, I’m hoping this is a good guide and we can all have some fun with it. Why don’t you make the most of the International Wine Days to try something new yourself?
February
1 February – International Furmint Day and then 18 February – Global Drink Wine Day
March
13 March – International Riesling Day
April
17 April – World Malbec Day
May
7 May – International Sauvignon Blanc Day followed by 21 May – International Chardonnay Day. I’ve also seen Chardonnay Day listed as 27 May so perhaps we will get two shots at this one.
June
- 19 – 27 June – English Wine Week
- 21 June – World Lambrusco Day
August
18 August – International Pinot Noir Day
September
2 September – International Cabernet Sauvignon Day and then 17 September – International Grenache Day
October
10 October is International Pinotage Day and then on 23 October it will be International Champagne Day. Maybe this will be a good time to plan a party. Hopefully, we’ll be allowed to get together with friends by then!
November
7 November is International Merlot Day, followed by Tempranillo Day on 12 November and finally Beaujolais Nouveau Day on 18 November
December
There’s only one wine day for December but it is a month of wine and celebrations for many. International Cabernet Franc Day is on 4 December
I’m thinking of picking a few of these and choosing some really good examples of the different wines to enjoy. However, I think I’m most looking forward to the whole week in June that is English Wine Week.
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