This Saturday is Open That Bottle Night. This wine day was introduced to let people know that we don’t need to save our ‘good’ wines for a special occasion. And this fits so well with our philosophy of celebrating the small victories we have, not just the major occasions.
How many times have we all said, ‘we can’t open that tonight, it’s too good – we need to save it’, or ‘we’ve put that away for a special occasion’… Has that occasion ever come?
So why not make the occasion! Gather your family or friends for a get together, and open that bottle. Make some special memories, and the wine will be definitely be enjoyed!
So this Saturday, we’ll be opening a bottle…
OPEN THAT BOTTLE NIGHT HISTORY
Open That Bottle Night was started by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher in around 2000. Dorothy and John were wine writers and journalists at The Wall Street Journal at the time. They wanted to encourage readers to open a significant bottle and share their stories.
It is celebrated on the last Saturday in February each year.
Such wise words from Dorothy:
“It was clear that, indeed, everyone—whether they had one bottle in the house or an entire collection—had that one wine that was always too special to open. You know how it is: Oh, let’s save this for a special occasion; and then no occasion is special enough; and the bottle just sits there, dying. As one OTBN celebrant once put it, these are wines that people are literally loving to death.
There’s sentiment and romance out there—much more than you might think from reading the daily news—and we think OTBN taps into that. In addition, there is just so much cant and snootiness surrounding wine. OTBN gives people a license to enjoy a bottle of wine for what it really is: an enjoyable, tasty beverage with some really good memories attached to it.”
Dorothy J. Gaiter
WHAT WE’LL BE OPENING
Jules:
I always love an opportunity to open a bottle of wine! So on an occasion like this I am going to look beyond the fridge – the home of obvious candidates for finishing a warm day…
I am heading down to the cellar for a bottle of Domaine Courbis St Joseph. I worked in this most beautiful area many years ago and now realise I can buy these wines in Australia! I’m hoping it will be snappy, bright, red-fruited and just a little raw, as Syrah can be from those steep slopes of St Joseph. This is why we love wine – it transports us to special places all tied up in a world of delicious aromas and flavours!
Bec:
I’m going to open a bottle of Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay, one of the greatest producers of Chardonnay in Australia and family-owned. I love the concentration and complexity of these wines and usually always wait for a special occasion to open a bottle, so love the concept of Open That Bottle Night. I’ll pair it with salmon and a mango and avocado salsa. Annabel (our youngest daughter) may also make potato waffles if I’m lucky – can’t wait!
Karli, our Brand Manager:
Whilst I do not think you need an excuse to drink bubbles – I like to constantly celebrate – I am most definitely using Open That Bottle Night as an opportunity to open my 2010 Billecart-Salmon.
Ever since working in London (a million years ago) and being introduced to this incredible example of French Champagne I look forward to having the memories returned of younger years. Now, being older and wiser I feel it is apt I go with a mature vintage of this wine and just know it is going to be something special.
Have a great weekend!
Whatever you choose to open on Saturday night, we hope you enjoy!