I only found out about this in late 2009 and I have had 27 February ringed on my calendar since then...

This is the night to open That Bottle. You know the one; that bottle that is always either too good for the company or for the food that is being served, the one you bought somewhere special, lugged home in your suitcase and can't bear to open, the one you have been saving for a special event that hasn't happened yet... go for it, tonight's the night!

Open That Bottle Night was created by Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, a husband and wife team who wrote about wine in the Wall Street Journal from 1998 to 2009. They invented OTBN in 2000, and it has been celebrated all over the world every year since then. It's a worldwide event and always the last Saturday in February. They talk about thousands of bottles being "released from prison and enjoyed."

Marco and I will be liberating a La Togata 1997 Riserva Brunello.... What about you?

Here's the official guide to getting the most out of OTBN:

http://guides.wsj.com/wine/entertaining-and-celebrating-with-wine/open-that-bottle-night/