One of the joys of keeping a substantial amount of wine in your home is occasionally reaching for the good stuff. No! Don’t wait until a birthday, visit from a special friend, or otherwise unusual occasion. Just open the damn good bottle of juice and drink it because you deserve it.

Such is the thinking behind the annual Open That Bottle Night. Saturday, Feb. 23, is the 2013 OTBN so start thinking now.

OTBN has been around since the late 90s, brainchild of Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. The duo were wine writers for the Wall Street Journal. They left the venerable old American newspaper icon in 2009 after 11 years of wine column writing.

They came up with the annual “Open That Bottle Night” in 2009 to encourage wine enthusiasts to open a special bottle of wine and share the story with others.

Now you don’t need a wine column or a blog to participate. Think how much fun it would be to invite a friend or friends over and pop open something really special.

For me, it’s going to be a great Oregon Pinot Noir or maybe a California Cab. I probably won’t decide until the last minute Saturday.

OTBN is always the last Saturday in February. But don’t wait for another year to roll by before you grab a bottle of the good stuff “just because.” You can celebrate OTBN any night of the year!