Set your wines free on February 23

Started by two food and wine columnists from the Wall Street Journal, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, about 20 years ago, Open That Bottle Night has now become a global phenomenon. So what’s the idea?

The journalists began the event based on the thousands of questions they received from people looking for ‘the perfect time’ to open a bottle of wine. The truth is most of us wait too long, or never open certain bottles of wine because the significance attached to them is too great (or at least that’s how it feels each time we go to choose a bottle of wine from our collections.) 

It’s the sentimental bottles that Dorothy and John had in mind to open for the event, rather than the rare collector’s items. It’s the one you picked up on your honeymoon, the birth-year bottle given to you by a loved one, or the wine that reminds you of a relative. (In saying that, if you have a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti gathering dust and you’d like a reason to open it then hey, here’s a great excuse.)

At the heart of Open That Bottle Night is that wine is for enjoying. It’s about opening that significant bottle and sharing its story with those you love, and in doing so creating a new, hopefully fond, memory.

To that end, we’ll be cracking the top on some special drops and sharing their stories on social. We’d love to hear about your bottles too, so join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter by including @winecompanion and #OTBN in your posts.