Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher
Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher are American journalists, authors and wine critics, wife and husband who jointly wrote a wine column in The Wall Street Journal titled "Tastings" between 1998-2009.[1] They rated wines on a scale that ranged from "Yech", "OK", "Good", "Very Good", "Delicious" to "Delicious!".[2] Their careers began simultaneously and have remained connected since their first meeting in the newsroom of The Miami Herald in 1973.[3]
Early life
Brecher grew up in one of the few Jewish families in Jacksonville, Florida. Gaiter grew up in an all-black community near Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida.[4]
Final "Tastings" column
| “ | This is our 579th—and last—"Tastings" column. The past 12 years—a full case!—have been a joy, not because of the wine but because we had an opportunity to meet so many of you, both in person and virtually. Thank you. | ” |
| — Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher | ||
Gaiter and Brecher announced at the end of their December 26, 2009 "Tastings" column in The Wall Street Journal that it would be their last. No reason was given, and no hint was provided as to what the couple would do in the future.[5][6][7][8] The writers who later succeeded them as The Wall Street Journal wine columnists were Jay McInerney, Lettie Teague and Will Lyons.
In 2011, in an interview with the Jacksonville Wine Guide, Gaiter and Brecher said that they "took the year off" in 2010—their first significant break from work in 36 years—and were undecided as to their next project.[9]
Open That Bottle Night
In the late 1990s,[1][10] Gaiter and Brecher invented the annual "Open That Bottle Night" (OTBN), encouraging their readers to open a symbolically significant bottle, and then share their stories.[11][12][13] Since its inauguration in 2000, the event is always scheduled for the last Saturday in February, so the date may range from February 22 to 29.[14]
Most recent accomplishments
In 2010, Gaiter was named Food and Wine Editor for France Magazine. In 2013, she was also named Senior Editor for grapecollective.com.
Brecher joined Bloomberg News in 2011 and, in 2012, was named Executive Editor for Enterprise. In May 2014, he was awarded the Lawrence Minard Award, one of two Gerald Loeb career achievement awards. [15]
Books
Among their published books are Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage (2003), Wine for Every Day and Every Occasion (2004) and several editions of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Wine.
See also
References
- 1 2 Maker, Meg Houston, Palate Press (February 22, 2010). Dottie and John Share Their Thoughts About 'Open That Bottle Night'
- ↑ Gaiter, Dorothy; Brecher, John, The Wall Street Journal (December 22, 2008). 2008's Most Thrilling
- ↑ Yarrow, Alder, Vinography.com (February 3, 2008). "Book Review: Love by the Glass by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher".
- ↑ Gaiter, Dorothy; Brecher, John (2002). Love by the Glass: Tasting Notes from a Marriage. Villard. ISBN 978-0812966862.
- ↑ Gaiter, Dorothy; Brecher, John, Wall Street Journal (December 26, 2009). The Mysterious Heart of Deliciousness
- ↑ Colman, Tyler, Drvino.com (December 26, 2009). John and Dottie bid farewell to the WSJ Tastings column
- ↑ Yarrow, Alder, Vinography.com (December 25, 2009). Yet Another Wine Column Casualty in the Newspaper Business
- ↑ Bonné, Jon, San Francisco Chronicle: The Cellarist (December 27, 2009). WSJ's wine duo signs off
- ↑ Catching up with Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher (February 17, 2011). JacksonvilleWineGuide.com. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
- ↑ openthatbottlenight.net What is Open That Bottle Night (OTBN)? Archived October 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Colman, Tyler, Dr.Vino.com (February 10, 2006). "Open that bottle night (OTBN 7)".
- ↑ Kulers, Gil, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (March 6, 2008) Star of Open That Bottle Night: Leoville Las Cases
- ↑ marketwatch.com Open That Bottle Night Goes Global
- ↑ openthatbottlenight.com When is the Next Open That Bottle Night?
- ↑ anderson.ucla.edu