Three wine merchants on what they’ll enjoy on February 28, and why we shouldn’t wait to open the good stuff.
Many of us have at least one ‘good’ wine stashed away. It’s often a gift or a souvenir from a great trip, which can make it feel too special for any old night. When a wine comes with a backstory and meaning, it’s easy to save it for a proper celebration, but the risk is in waiting too long. Because wines don’t come with an expiry date, and they also need specific storage conditions to be their best selves, it’s easy to miss them at their peak.
Luckily for us, Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) is an excellent excuse to crack open these special wines. Each year, on the last Saturday of February, OTBN encourages people to pull out a cherished bottle and enjoy it with family and friends. As an initiative started by former Wall Street Journal columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher back in 2000, the annual event has since gone global. It’s all about not waiting for the perfect occasion, but making the wine (and the people and meal involved) the celebration instead. Sounds pretty good to us.
As this year’s OTBN approaches on Saturday, February 28, we ask three Dan Murphy’s Wine Merchants what they’ll be opening and how they’ll serve it, along with the wines to pick up if we don’t have a bottle ready and waiting.
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Lindsay Wright, Hamilton, Brisbane
Wine: Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2022
Lindsay Wright knows exactly what he’ll be opening on February 28 – the Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier from the Canberra District is a wine he loves and buys each year. Having previously lived in Canberra, it holds significance for him, as well as simply being delicious. “It ages well, but I love it when it’s youthful and vibrant,” Lindsay says. “And 2022 was a cool vintage – ethereal and vibrant.”
This wine holds a special place in the Australian wine landscape, with Clonakilla winemaker Tim Kirk championing this iconic shiraz viognier blend, which is so well-suited to the Canberra District. “The addition of viognier lifts the aromatics, and it blends so nicely with the spicy flavours of cool-climate shiraz,” Hamilton says.
Having spent almost 15 years in liquor retail, Lindsay is a long-time wine fanatic. He was quick to pursue further study, including courses through the globally recognised Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), and he still gets a kick out of talking about wine all day. He also enjoys making some savvy wine buys each year, including that Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier.
So, how will he serve it on Open that Bottle Night? “I’ll get a couple of friends together, go to a nice BYO restaurant, grab this bottle and share the stories behind it,” Lindsay says. As someone who’s waited too long to open some wines in the past, he admits he’s missed a few bottles at their peak. “It’s always good to go earlier than later,” he says.
For anyone without a wine collection who’s keen to get in on OTBN this year, Lindsay suggests browsing the Cellar Releases in-store for aged bottles ready to go. “We have some Wynns Black Label Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 – it’s not expensive but always drinks well. The d’Arenberg Dead Arm Shiraz is a very good wine that punches above its weight, and the Riesling from the 2017 vintage is great, too.”
Yvette Kelisman, Kirrawee, Sydney
Wine: Besserat de Bellefon Champagne Cuvee Bleu Brut
Yvette Kelisman loves Champagne, so there are no prizes for guessing what the Kirrawee wine merchant has on ice for OTBN. “The Besserat de Bellefon Cuvee Bleu Brut is predominantly pinot meunier, which isn’t so common, so it’s a different style of Champagne,” she says. “The bubbles are very fine, it’s very elegant, and it’s delicate with a slight toastiness.”
For Yvette, the Cuvee Bleu Brut slots in everywhere – celebrations, dinners and gifting included. “It’s also a perfect wine for oysters, seafood and charcuterie,” she says. But on OTBN, Yvette will keep it simple with her bottle, which was a Christmas gift from her store manager. “I’ll serve it chilled, straight out of the fridge, in a flute, with cheese – obviously. That’s my happy place.”
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When Yvette recommends this Champagne in-store, customers often return to say how much they loved it. That’s a big part of why she loves her job so much, having worked at Dan Murphy’s for almost five years. After a career in beauty therapy from the age of 16, Yvette was ready for a change some years ago but wasn’t sure which way to go. That was until she went to France and toured Bordeaux’s St Emilion region; she was sold.
Wine study followed, including the highest WSET certification, the Level 4 Diploma. This serious wine accreditation is notoriously tough – Yvette was one of just four students who passed out of 28 in the class. Working at Dan’s has since allowed her to deep-dive into so many wines, including this distinctive Besserat de Bellefon Champagne. “You don’t even need to wait for a special occasion to enjoy this wine,” Yvette says. “I wish I had a Champagne budget, but you still need to treat yourself now and then.”
But if you’re after bubbles at a lower price, Yvette has another top recommendation. “The Sieur d’Arques Cremant de Limoux is made in the Limoux region in the same way as Champagne with two years of ageing,” Yvette says. It even comes with a bottle design that looks a lot fancier than its under-$25 price tag.
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Kranthi Gudipati, Alphington, Melbourne
Wine: Chateau Beychevelle St-Julien 4th Growth 2012
Given Kranthi Gudipati’s background in fine dining, including stints at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Oberoi Hotels, his choice for OTBN is pretty fitting. “It’s the 2012 Chateau Beychevelle, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot from Saint-Julien in Bordeaux, France,” he says.
Aside from being a standout red, this Bordeaux blend was a farewell gift from the team he managed at Restaurant No#35 in the Sofitel Melbourne. “I spent so much of my Melbourne working life at the Sofitel, learning a great deal and mentoring my team. It truly felt like a family.”
Like Lindsay, Kranthi also plans to take this bottle out to a BYO restaurant on February 28 to share with his former colleagues who gifted it to him. “Melbourne’s dining scene offers a great variety of cuisines, and this will be a good excuse to catch up with everyone and enjoy a table full of a variety of dishes,” he says.
Kranthi has been with Dan Murphy’s for seven years, bringing together his extensive knowledge, wine studies and experience. He especially loves hearing people’s stories in-store and helping them choose the ideal wine by understanding their tastes and the intended purpose for the bottle.
He is a big believer in seizing the day and not leaving the good wines for too long. “Enjoy them with your loved ones more often,” he says. “Celebrate both the big and small moments, and do it more frequently. Don't keep those special bottles tucked away for too long!”
If you don’t have a special bottle ready and waiting, Kranthi suggests talking to the team members at Dan’s for direction, checking out the Cellar Release wines or trying the signature online service, which provides personal recommendations. And if you want to follow in Kranthi’s French footsteps? “We also have an extensive selection of Bordeaux available throughout our network,” he says.
