Retro review: Taking another look at Blue Nun wine

Blue Nun | Germany | LCBO Code # 729 | $10.90 750 ml | 30 g\l res. sugar

Here’s another blast from the past: the oft-derided Blue Nun.

The truth is that there is both good and bad to a product like this. The bad is that this wine has been around so long, and has become so heavily identified with Germany, that to this day people understand this to be representative of German wine in general. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The good thing is that for people just beginning their entry into the world of wine, Blue Nun may be a good starting point both from the perspective of price and the fact that the wine is not challenging in any way. It’s a baseline of sorts against which you measure better and more interesting wines in the future.

The grape that makes this wine is known as Rivaner and is a crossing of two German varieties Riesling and Silvaner. It was developed in 1882 at the renowned Geisenheim Institute (Rheingau, Germany) by Swiss researcher Hermann Müller from the Swiss canton of Thurgau. Hence the grape is better known by the name Müller-Thurgau.

It’s likely best to stick with the name Müller-Thurgau as recent genetic research has shown that a third grape known as Madeleine Royal was involved in the crossing.

It’s an uncomplicated grape that makes for pleasant and easy drinking. A “Tuesday night” wine is a good way of putting it. It’s a particularly good match for Thai food. Or as a fruity summer time punch.

Blue Nun is fairly sweet but balanced by some acidity at the finish. You’ll detect some notes of rose and lichee more commonly associated with Muscat grape varieties like Gewurztraminer, but there’s also some peach and lemon. As can happen with large, commercially made white wines, there’s also a wet paper note that comes through on the mid-palate.

It’s been decades since I’ve tried Blue Nun and while it’s a simple wine, I do encourage you to try other Müller-Thurgau wines if you see them come through the LCBO Vintages releases.