Open That Bottle Night was created 10 years ago by former Wall Street Journal wine writers Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher for the sole purpose of having an excuse to open a special bottle of wine, a bottle that otherwise might never get opened. A brilliant idea indeed. Open it at home, open it in a public place, it doesn't matter...just open it. For the uninitiated, OTBN is traditionally observed on the last Saturday in February.
If that night is not convenient, Amy Zupanci, chef-owner of Fond Fine Dining in Edwardsville (one of SLM's Best New Restaurants of 2009), has a solution. She has declared tomorrow, February 23, through Saturday, February 27, as Open that Bottle Week, and will waiveFond's $15 corkage fee on those nights. She is also suggesting that diners share their bottles with surrounding tables, noting that "wine is made for sharing; when we share wine we make close and personal connections that may not have been possible otherwise." I love that she is encouraging guests to get up and pour and mingle, actions normally frowned upon in any civilized restaurant. Sounds like a week-long wine party to me.
Zupanaci's five-course Market Menu is one good reason to head to Edwardsville; Open That Bottle Week is most certainly another.
Listen closely...that's the sound of a dining editor blowing dust off an old bottle. Cheers! -- George Mahe
