Since I mentioned the contest here and came up with an idea for a wine seminar because of it, I thought I would share my Open That Bottle Night experience with you. I wrote about it on my other blog here.
I’m wondering if any of you readers participated in the event and if you opened any older Rosenblum wines?
With tonight being Open That Bottle Night, I think it’s as good a time as any to say how our To Age or Not To Age wine seminar went. Smashingly, thank you for asking. I have to say, I was a little worried about this one going into it. What if people wanted definitive answers? What if the information was too dry?
Not to worry….everyone had a grand time and said they learned a lot. Not only did we present a variety of suggestions for how to decide if aged wine is your style, we gave the class a run-down on how to cellar wine, what to avoid, and some quick-fix ideas.
The wines we tasted provided some fun comparisons. (more…)
Our third wine seminar is coming up in approximately two weeks. To Age or Not To Age will take place Wednesday, February 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the winery in Alameda. Sean and I will address ways to decide whether you should hold on to certain bottles or if they’re ready to drink now. We’ll do tastings of Rosenblum wines that tend to take more time to become accessible, including some wines from the library. (Always a treat to pull those out!) I will also discuss one of my favorite wine-related events: Open That Bottle Night, created by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, and will give attendees a chance to participate in the celebration which takes place the following Saturday, February 23.
Speaking of… (more…)
If you’re reading this and you’re a Rosenblum fan, here’s your chance to win two bottles of yet-to-be-released Rosenblum Zinfandel. This contest is not sponsored by the winery, but the prize does come from my being an employee there. How else could you get wine that’s not even for sale yet?
The details are here, and the theme is Open That Bottle Night.
Good luck!
Open That Bottle Night, wine contest, free wine, win Rosenblum wine
I’d have to say, my first Open That Bottle Night was pretty successful. After a tiring day of fighting the crowds at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, without coming near intoxication (which we witnessed in so many others), we still had our taste buds in full order.
Four of us gathered at my apartment: myself, the cellar rat, The Winemaker’s Wife, and another winetasting group friend. Unfortunately, that last friend’s bottle was corked. He’d bought the 2002 Keller Estate Pinot Noir (on the advice of one well-dressed monkey) about a year ago, from a funky wine shop in Pacifica–where they’ll hopefully trade him another bottle.
The other two bottles were
just right. We had a 2000 Brochelle Zinfandel, which the cellar rat/ pretty good winemaker himself loves so much he A) would have as his last wine before dying and
B) purchased the same Paso Robles grapes to make his own Zinfandel. Still nice and jammy, the color was a little hazy and the mouthfeel a little spritzy, but it was quite a damn good glass of wine. (more…)
Have you already picked out your bottle to open Saturday night? Make it a nice one, an old one, a cold one, a longtime friend, a brand-new fling…just be sure to open something special. You’ll be in good company.
Read more about Open That Bottle Night.
(Update: contest for 2008 Open That Bottle Night)
We’ve all done it. Held on to bottles too long, waiting for the right time to drink, and then sadly found they’d passed their prime….
That’s why Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher started Open That Bottle Night: to give you a reason to open a special bottle. Thereby, instead of letting birthdays and anniversaries pass without corks being removed, the occasion becomes the opening of the bottle. It can include a special someone and an intricate meal, but the focus, the star, is the wine. And the memories you’ll make.
This year the date is February 24 (always the last Saturday of February), which is when I was planning on attending the San Francisco Chronicle tasting at Fort Mason. I’ll have to keep my wits about me that day.
With less than a month until the big night, go ahead and be thinking about the wine you might want to choose. Maybe it was bought on vacation, given to you as a wedding present, or willed to you by a favorite aunt. Whatever the case, it’s time to open and enjoy.
And to my TV friend, this will give you an excuse to stop sitting on your bottles!
funny side note: If you’re in need of a fancy corkscrew, this site will give you a free foil cutter by mentioning Open That Bottle Night.
Open That Bottle Night, Dorothy Gaiter, John Brecher
….Farley Walker
This site is your go-to for answers about wine, courtesy of someone in the business. Firsthand knowledge and hours of research logged each week provide informed and impassioned suggestions for what wine to serve with meals (sometimes with recipes), places to go for education or fun, and what to buy or not buy. Wine Outlook is where you go when you’ve had too much to drink or not enough.
Wine Outlook Author(s)
» Farley
