Let me set the scene. So it is Tuesday night and you are debating over what to have for dinner with your significant other, waiter or yourself and as you ponder the question, you see a bottle of wine in your cellar or on a wine list that is calling to you. But, for some earthly reason, you hesitate; you pause to ponder, is tonight the right night for that? Is there a ceremonial event or an occasion that would justify the wine you have in mind? If you are part of my loyal following you know I have espoused the virtues of OTBN (open that bottle night) before, so now I ask you, what’s the occasion that you see worthy of the mythical bottle?
As a self-professed wine lover and collector, I am often asked about the best or most expensive or most rare bottle in my cellar. The question is quickly followed up with two successive questions. They are, what does wine (fill in the blank of the best, rarest or most expensive) taste like and what was the occasion you opened it. Ignoring my collection or personal belief on the quality of said wine, I would like to weigh in on the best occasion for a “special” wine to be consumed.
So let me say upfront, I like to entertain and share my wines and culinary skills (however limited). As a part of entertaining I often have other folks with more than just a passing fancy about wine. It is my goal these nights to have a magical pairing of wine and food and a wine that is new and exciting for my guests. It may be some ething that is small production or from a non traditional wine region, but I want to share the experience of this new wine with my guests. That to me is a great occasion. My goal and recommendation here is to be open to the ever changing landscape of wine. Small production and unique wine region does not equal expensive, so do not feel limited by the budget, but rather your creativity.
A few examples might be a dinner where you serve sparkling wine with every course or wines from the same producer in different vintages or labels. This can be done at an affordable price tag and will be a new experience for the guests you invite. Make it interactive; ask the guests to bring a bottle or brown bag the bottles and see if you can guess what is what. Have fun and be creative; this makes an excellent “occasion” to open the bottle you are pondering.
A second place to pull the cork on one of “those” bottles is a life event. Birthdays, anniversaries and the like make for easy reasons to celebrate. These tend to be larger events in some families, so this might not fit everyone’s budget or desire. I feel there is something intimate about a special bottle of wine. It can work with 10 people but not 20 in my opinion. I would hope you can toast a wedding or birth of a child with a nice champagne, or an engagement dinner with a stellar red wine, so I would exclude those from the conversation here. However, I might suggest buying 6 bottles of a wine you love and open one per year on an anniversary or birthday. That will hit two of the greatest wine experiences; a special occasion and the ability to see how the wine evolves from year to year.
My final thought on the right occasion is any given Tuesday. I know that seems a little tongue in cheek, but if you can enjoy and share the wine, it makes it an occasion. Wine (and beer) started as a necessity for people to consume as water created health concerns in many cultures. In later years, it became celebratory by nature. There are several cultures that have wine deities and this was because of the reverence with which those societies consumed wine. It exists in many modern religious events and wine is still revered the world over.
I am not suggesting you need to go to a house of worship to drink your Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, but rather, make where you are at that very moment, the special place and occasion. So back to Tuesday night. I am sure many of you have seen the movie, “Sideways.” I am personally excited and repulsed by the scene where Miles consumes his “special” bottle at the burger place. I am excited to wonder what the wine tastes like, and how it pairs with a burger and onion rings. I am repulsed by the styrofoam cup he is using to consume the “special” bottle. Why not take it outside and pour it in a proper glass Miles? Oh I digress.
Tuesday is a great occasion, or why not Wednesday? So my advice is drink what you like and don’t save a bottle for some idealistic occasion, rather enjoy it because wine is meant to be enjoyed. All is ask is please just use a proper glass!