Wine Unites
Open That Bottle Night
02/28/12 19:56 Filed in: Wine General | Wine Event
OTBN
“Most of us have a special bottle of wine or champagne tucked away somewhere; it may be special because of who gave it to us, why they gave it to us, or why we bought it. Too often we never find just the right occasion to open it up!Open That Bottle Night
gives us the needed push to retrieve that bottle from its hiding place, pop the cork and enjoy it. Whatever makes your bottle of wine special to you, OTBN is the annual worldwide event during which those special bottles are brought out to help us share our lives and celebrate our memories.OTBN
“Most of us have a special bottle of wine or champagne tucked away somewhere; it may be special because of who gave it to us, why they gave it to us, or why we bought it. Too often we never find just the right occasion to open it up!Open That Bottle Night
gives us the needed push to retrieve that bottle from its hiding place, pop the cork and enjoy it. Whatever makes your bottle of wine special to you, OTBN is the annual worldwide event during which those special bottles are brought out to help us share our lives and celebrate our memories.OTBN was created by Dorothy J. Gaither and John Brecher of the Wall Street Journal in 2000 and has been celebrated every year by wine enthusiasts the world over.” I was fortunate to participate this year at the private Women’s Athletic Club of Chicago, located along the famed Michigan Avenue, on Friday February 24th.
The WAC’s large dining room was full of guests enjoying the fabulous cuisine (kindly see menu below) underneath its crystal chandeliers and flickering candles reflected in Venetian mirrors throughout. Each table served the wines they brought themselves. The wines were pre-matched with the fixed menu distributed weeks earlier to the guests… a BYOW dinner if you will. As I looked around the room, I spotted a smorgasbord of wines being served… really fun! The table straight ahead of me served a Rosé champagne with the lamb course (a personal favorite of mine). Wonderful.
The following is the menu and wines my table dined upon:
First Course
Parmigianino Reggiano CustardServed with romaine lettuce, anchovy dressing, parmesan crisp and croutons
WINE: Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 2003 http://www.smith-haut-lafitte.com/
Second course
Stuffed Quail RouladeQuail breast stuffed with wild mushrooms, Swiss chard, truffles wrapped in pancetta, bean casserole, port wine and balsamic reduction
WINE: Kistler Chardonnay 2005 http://www.kistlervineyards.com/
Intermezzo
Riesling sorbetMain Course Duet
Australian Rack of Lamb with pinenut crust, rosemary au jusPan-Seared Wild Sea Bass Filet with Scallions, wild mushrooms, ginger and lemon grass sauce
Ratatouille vegetables and Parisian potatoes
WINE: Château Trotanoy 1983 Rouge Pomerol http://www.moueix.com/
Dessert Sampler
Poached Black Mission Fig Sponge CakeTopped with Bordeaux strawberry ice cream
Port Wine Vanilla Bean Poached Pears
Mini Arborio rice pudding, sweet Marsala wine and macerated yellow raisins
WINE: Warre’s Port 2000 http://www.warre.com/section.php?id=766
Warre’s has been leading the Port trade since it was established as the first British Port House in 1670. Notice the British Royal Warrant on their label...
If you were unable to savor this year’s Open That Bottle Night, don’t worry! You can join next year’s OTBN or start your own. Cheers!
and a personal Thank you to my dear friend Tamra Weiss for inviting me to join her at this most delectable wine evening! Merci Beaucoup!
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