What bottle? That’s my question. Mike and I have been into wine for a long time. When we first started dating, over 22 years ago , we would walk to the food store on a Friday night after work. We would wander the store picking out what we were going to have for dinner that night and a bottle of wine. We had no clue what we were picking. We didn’t know (or care) if the meal would enhance or detract the wine. We just ate the food and drank the wine and talked. Oh the memory of those simpler times.
Now we enjoy wine. No, we love wine. (Some may think a bit too much.). But wine has become an inherent part of our lives. I am not talking about the winery, just the pure pleasure of sitting down with a glass of wine.
As the years have gone by, some things have changed. We now choose a wine that pairs with our meals. We savour the flavors and aromas. We discuss the nuances within the wine. (We are no longer buying from the bottom shelf of a food store) Wine has become our sanctuary. When our days are bad, we sit down and talk each other through it while sipping a glass of wine. When we have good days, we share it over a glass of wine. It has become our “cone of silence” from Get Smart.
The outside world doesn’t matter and we just get to be “us.”
Does this story sound at all familiar to you? Is it somewhat how you fell I love with wine?With all of the positives that wine brings to our lives, I now ask you why are you saving a bottle for a special occasion? You can make any night a special occasion if you are sitting and enjoying the wine with loved ones or friends ( or hell, your dog if he makes you happy). Mike and I have a lot of wine in our cellar, but we don’t have any bottles that are waiting for that quintessential moment.
I get it, you were out of your mind one day and threw all caution to the wind and paid more money for that bottle than you do for food for a month, but special occasions are made by you not the wine. So make today the last time you have to celebrate “Open that bottle” night and live each day as if it’s your last. Drink the dang bottle of wine you dream about whenever you want. Don’t wait for the special day to come to you- reach out and grab the day by the horns and make any day your special day!
There you have it. My rant for the day. I hope you heed my advise, but as they say, “you can lead an oenophile to wine, but you can’t force him to pull it from the cellar.”
~Sláinte
Couldn’t agree more. Don’t let one of those “special occasions” be your wake. Cheers!
LOL! I love that. Yes, that would be horrible, you waiting for a special night and it turns out really too late
I can certainly see your point of view, and by a and large, I share it. We have many bottles of wine that are “special” for just as many reasons–so there is not a “that bottle” in the cellar. Heck, I don’t even think that we have “those bottles” but some bottles are certainly more “special” than others. I think the aim of the “holiday” is to get more people thinking about and enjoying wine. This “holiday” is not for me or for you, but it is for those that are perhaps just getting into wine or those that might not yet fully grasp what placing a bottle on the table can mean. So I spread the gospel and encourage people to celebrate the “holiday” even though, like you, I think every day is an “Open That Bottle Night.”
You make a valid point. If this “holiday” introduces wine to more people then I say more power to it! I do agree that there are more special wines than others, but my hope is that people wait too long! Thanks for reading and commenting- that’s a great thing about blogging- sharing viewpoints and enticing conversation.