The Wall Street Journal Weekend edition is home to a weekly wine article by husband and wife team Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher. In the year 2000 they started “Open That Bottle Night”.
This is the day that you take that bottle you have been saving for a special occasion and open it. Maybe you have been saving it for years, just waiting for just the right occasion. And waiting. And waiting. Wait no longer. Its a holiday just for us wine lovers, a reason to celebrate!
So, your special assignment is THIS:
Create the right setting for yourself. Invite friends over, or go it solo, plan a meal around your wine, or take it to your favorite BYO restaurant. You may want to have a backup, just in case it doesn’t satisfy your craving for a good vino.
Whatever you do, take notes. Does it live up to your expectations? Does it exceed them? Did it age well, was it corked?
However you plan to celebrate, please enjoy this special day, then stop back here to share your experience by leaving a comment.
We look forward to hearing your stories!
Due to snowy weather in Tennessee, we havent made it home to open the Bordeaux I have been saving. We will post details of the opening once we get home. Tuesday? Looking forward to reading about others’ experiences!
UPDATE: We had the 1989 Chateau Montrose Bordeaux at Legume’s in Regent Square. It was dark ruby, with berry and chocolate aromas, and was probably one of the silkiest wines I have ever had. The only unfortunate thing about this wine, was that it was gone too quickly.
I opend a bottle of Vinho Verde I bought after reading about it- Twin Vines. Unfortunately it was not my favorite, but this is how I am learning about new wines. All was not lost however, as I had some of my favorite- Alice White Lexia, on hand. I paired it with some fish, broccoli and rice and was quite content.
I have been saving the last bottle of icewine that my husband and I bought together the summer before last on one of our long weekends to our favorite spots in Niagara On The Lake. Sadly he passed away before we had a chance to share it. It was truly bittersweet – a lovely little bottle from Inniskilllin that he would have thoroughly enjoyed. Opening that bottle was a way of honoring his memory and another step in healing and moving on.
It’s been eight months, I remember how we planned to joined this event but unfortunately it’s a sad surprise when my wife who was seven months pregnant was rush to the hospital. But then we call it “open that bottle day” because she gave birth to a baby boy. It’s a great wine celebration that day.
You have a nice story. It’s my first time to know about this event and how I wish I’ve known it the time it was announced. I have a fiancé and we are going to celebrate our third year anniversary on Feb. 28 the next year. I hope to celebrate this special day in public and propose a wedding to her.
I think we all have our own special story on this day. I met my boyfriend that night. I thought it was a terrible day because I crashed my car. Someone offered his hand to help me. I was so surprised. He told me about this day and offered me wine. I love wine because it reminds me of that night.