Six Bottles to Drink for National Drink Wine Day

National Drink Wine Day lands on February 18, and most of what gets written about it is not built to help you decide what to drink. Holiday-listing sites tell you the date and the same handful of generic ideas. They don't tell you which bottle to buy.

The week before February 18, people walk into the shop with real questions. What to bring to a dinner party. What to grab for a Tuesday night that needs to feel like more than a Tuesday night.

Below are six bottles currently on our shelf, across price points, with the reason for each one. All six are stocked today, and you can browse the wine selection any time. The rest of the post tells you why each one earned its spot.

When is National Drink Wine Day?

National Drink Wine Day falls on February 18 every year. The next observance is February 18, 2027. It is distinct from National Wine Day, which is May 25. The day was created to celebrate wine's long history (dating back to 7000 B.C.) and encourage people to share a glass with friends.

The two holidays get mixed up, and the difference is worth knowing. February 18 is about actually drinking the wine. May 25 leans toward celebrating the industry, the producers, and the broader culture around wine. If you only get one of them on the calendar, February 18 is the one with the lower bar to entry. You open a bottle. That is the whole assignment.

Why the holiday-listing sites won't help you

Search "national drink wine day" and you'll get a wall of holiday-listing sites that exist to tell you the holiday exists. Most of them lead with the date, the origin story, and a short list of ways to celebrate that boil down to: open a bottle, invite a friend, post a photo. None of that helps you in the parking lot of a wine shop trying to decide between three reds you've never heard of.

The honest story in Dubuque is that most of our customers at EJ's Wine Shop had not heard of February 18 as a wine holiday until we put it on their radar in 2026, with a Facebook event for the day. Once people knew the day existed, the conversation moved fast. The questions stopped being "what is this holiday" and started being "what should I actually drink for it." That is the gap.

Six bottles from EJ's shelf right now

Sula Chenin Blanc (around $18)

If you do not know what white to bring, bring this. Sula Chenin Blanc has been one of our steadier sellers in the white category for a reason: it has medium body, a clean finish, and drinks well with almost anything you put on the table. Roast chicken, pasta with a cream sauce, takeout sushi on a Friday night. It is not trying to be the wine of the night. It is trying to make the night easier, which is what a good white at this price should do. Around $18, and worth more. Chenin Blanc is a good grape to know, and Sula is the bottle to know it through.

LaFiera Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (around $18)

The under-$20 Italian red that consistently surprises people is LaFiera Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Most American drinkers default to Chianti or Pinot Grigio when they think of Italy and skip past Abruzzo entirely. That is a missed turn. Montepulciano (the grape, not the Tuscan town with the similar name) drinks rounder and softer than a Chianti, with dark fruit and just enough grip to handle a weeknight bolognese. LaFiera is the version we keep coming back to at the under-$20 mark. If you have not tried Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, this is the place to start.

Mary Taylor / Filipe Ferreira Douro Tinto (around $22)

The Douro is one of the world's best red wine regions, and most American drinkers have never had a real one. The Filipe Ferreira Douro Tinto, imported by Mary Taylor, is built to fix that. Mary Taylor's whole project is finding small producers in less-traveled corners of Portugal, Spain, and France, and bringing their wine in under her own label at fair prices. Her wines are staples at the shop, and they move fast for a reason. The Filipe Ferreira itself is the bottle we hand customers who say "I am going to a party and I have no idea what people will be drinking." Easy medium body, plenty of flavor, hard to argue with. Around $22.

Bolet Cava Brut Nature Classic NV (around $25)

Bubbles are the right call on February 18, and real Cava is one of the better values on any wine shelf. Bolet Cava Brut Nature Classic NV is from Spain, made the same traditional method as Champagne, and dosed with no added sugar. That last part matters. Brut Nature is bone-dry, which means the wine has to be good without sweetness covering anything up. This one is. The fruit is sharp, the bubbles are fine, and the bar has been pouring Bolet by the glass through the holidays for a reason. Around $25 is a steal for what shows up in the glass. Skip the Prosecco aisle this once.

Lost Eden Red Blend (around $30)

If you want one bottle that feels like a celebration without overthinking it, this is the one. Lost Eden Red Blend is the kind of red customers reach for when the occasion calls for something memorable but the budget does not call for $60. It is full-bodied, dark-fruited, and has the right amount of structure for a steak dinner or a slow Sunday roast. Around $30, which is the sweet spot where people stop apologizing for the price and start enjoying the bottle. We sell a lot of these in the days before holidays for exactly this reason.

Farina Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG (around $69)

If February 18 is the night you actually want to feel something, this is the bottle. Amarone is made in Valpolicella by drying the grapes on racks for months before pressing, which concentrates everything: the fruit, the structure, the weight in the glass. The result drinks closer to a meal than a wine. Farina Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG runs around $69, which is real money and worth it on the right night.

This was my wine for our fifth wedding anniversary. Great body, rich details, and made the night special. Farina is the producer to start with if you have not had Amarone before. Save it for a night that earns it.

What to do with these bottles on February 18

Pick the bottle to fit the night, not the other way around. The Sula and the LaFiera handle a quiet Tuesday with takeout or a weeknight pasta. The Filipe Ferreira is the one to bring to a friend's dinner party when you want to show up with something they will not have on their counter. The Bolet is the toast bottle: open it before dinner with two or three people, or pour it through a small gathering. The Lost Eden earns a steak. The Farina earns a night you cleared the calendar for.

If you cannot decide which one to grab, stop in. We carry these year-round, and we are happy to talk through which one fits the night.

Frequently asked questions

How did the holiday start?

The holiday was created in 2007 by Todd McCalla, a wine enthusiast who wanted a low-stakes excuse to share a bottle with friends. The drink itself goes back much further. Archaeological evidence dates early winemaking to roughly 6000 B.C. in what is now the country of Georgia. The modern observance is less about ceremony, more about good company.

What's the difference between National Drink Wine Day and National Wine Day?

The short version is that one is for drinkers and one is for the industry. National Drink Wine Day, on February 18, points the spotlight at the person opening the bottle. National Wine Day, on May 25, points it at the people who grow, make, import, and sell the wine. Most drinkers do not keep them straight, which is fine.

Is the date always February 18?

Yes. The date is fixed on February 18 every year and does not float to a particular weekday the way Thanksgiving or Easter do. Some years it lands on a Monday, some years on a Saturday. The calendar does not care. The date stays put. If you are hosting, plan around the day of the week you actually get.

Are there specials at wine shops on February 18?

Some shops run promotions, others do not. The EJ's approach is to point customers toward specific bottles worth opening on February 18 rather than discount whatever is moving slowly off the shelf. Check with your local shop the week before, and if you cannot decide what to buy, ask the staff. A good shop will pick something worth the day.

The day, the bottle, the night

You do not need a holiday to open a good bottle, but if February 18 is the nudge that gets you to actually do it, the six bottles above are where to start. Browse the selection when you have a minute. If you liked these picks and want more like them, join the Wine Club. We do something for the day, and the next one is on the calendar.