If an ordinary day isn’t it a good enough reason to open that amazing wine that you’ve saved for an extraordinary occasion, then make it special! But stop waiting and indulge yourself. You deserve it!
There are special bottles, without a doubt. Wines that we keep opening just at “the right time”. Either because it was a gift on a birthday, on our wedding day, when our child was born or even there are bottles that we bought ourselves. On a trip to a vineyard with our best friends, on that amazing family holiday, or in that shop where they recommend us that vintage because it was exceptional or had the perfect score. Wine bottles bring back memories. That’s why many times we prefer to save them before opening them, to keep those moments as trophies. And this is how these wines can spend months or even years dusted inside a cabinet waiting to be opened.
The truth is that most of wines do not get much better as the time goes by. Only a few will do it. Only those wines that thanks to its great tannic structure and oak aging will be able to evolve and gain greater complexity in aromas and flavours. Although these characteristics aren’t a guarantee because the store conditions as the position of the bottle, its temperature and the light will also affect the wine’s flavour once you open it. But assuming everything is perfect, is it worth waiting so long?
When to open or not that special bottle can be a torturous decision. But it shouldn’t. Wine is meant to gather people around it. And when it does, almost always (because there are always exceptions) it’s a memorable moment. We forget that instead of waiting for the perfect occasion just opening that wine could turn any day into a special occasion.
Its always tempting to open that special wine when we get together with friends or family. But if this isn’t a good enough reason, then you create the moment! Don’t you know how?
Whether it’s a big bold red wine as Carmín de Peumo 2017 or a delicate one as Amelia Pinot Noir 2017, one option is to create a menu around that wine. Choose ingredients that will match with it and pick a recipe using the best quality ingredients.
If you don’t feel like cooking, you could contact some restaurant that you love and tell them about your wine. They definitely will help you to choose the best food pairing of their menu and you could order it to take away. Or you can forget about food. But please don’t drink your special wine with the wrong dish: it could ruin the experience.
If you don’t want to spend time cooking and you feel more like enjoying a pleasant and relaxing moment, that’s fine. Light some candles, listen to your favourite music album and uncork that bottle! A little bit of self-indulgence its always welcome.
Now, if you are the type of person that prefers to plan, Open That Bottle Night is an annual event dedicated to making sure that those bottles of wine put away for a special occasion, are open and enjoyed.
The idea, created in 2000 by ‘Tastings’ columnist Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, invites people to reconnect with each other over a bottle, so then they can keep the good memories of it. If you dare, you can use #OpenThatBottleNight hashtag in social media and share your experience.
No matter what decision you make over your special wine, let yourself enjoy and celebrate life…today!
