# Whatever happened to Liebfraumilch (Blue Nun)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [May 18, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208 "2023-05-18T05:48:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/1 "2023-05-18T05:48:47Z")
It seemed like “Blue Nun”, Liebfraumilch style, “crisp”, white wine was an ubiquitous serving and table wine everywhere here in the Midwest, back in the day. I haven’t seen it for years in the store or on the wine list. What happened? It wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t the worst. ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/2 "2023-05-18T06:12:09Z")
Liebfraumilch is a designation for a style of wind produced in particular parts of Germany, using particular grape varieties. It’s not an especially prestigious classification. Most production is exported — there is a limited market for Liebfraumilch in Germany itself — and production has been declining as more growers are switching to higher quality grapes to produce wine with a higher classification and, therefore, a greater profit margin. “Blue Nun” is a brand created with marketing outside Germany in mind. The brand positioned itself as a simple, straightforward, reasonably-priced wine that was suitable as an accompaniment to almost any food. For a long time all wine marketed under the Blue Nun brand was Liebfraumilch, to the extent that, outside Germany, the two became almost synonymous. Liebfraumilch is fairly sweet, and in the 1990s tastes veered sharply towards dryer styles of wine (anybody remember the Chardonnay boom?) and sales declined steeply. The brand owners responded by producing a dryer style of wine under the Blue Nun label, and dropping the Liebfraumilch designation. They have since diversified into a number of different styles, all sold under the Blue Nun label, but I don’t think sales ever returned to the heights they were at in the 1960s-80s. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/3 "2023-05-18T08:23:18Z")
It was exactly the same in the UK back in the 80s. But since then, wine drinking has become ubiquitous, palettes have become more discerning, and people have moved away from ‘sweet wine’ for people who don’t really like wine. My Mum still drinks it for her one glass a year, at Christmas. We have to use up the rest of the bottle in cooking as everyone else hates it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/4 "2023-05-18T13:30:01Z")
[She killed herself after killing her boyfriend.](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/07/07/A-fashion-model-who-appeared-as-the-Blue-Nun/1374394862400/#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20%2D%2D%20A%20fashion,Reilly%2C%2028%2C%20fired%20the%20.). ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/5 "2023-05-18T14:03:18Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > people have moved away from ‘sweet wine’ for people who don’t really like wine. I don’t know about that. I think it’s more that there are other alternatives that appeal more to that crowd and/or they’re cheaper. There are still a LOT of people out there who like Beringer White Zinfandel or the various instances of Moscato (e.g. Barefoot) that are sold by the big California and Australian wineries. And garbage like Arbor Mist (flavored sweet wine) is pretty common as well. I suspect that they’re just cheaper than imported Liebfraumilch or they’re more palatable to that crowd. And for the crowd that does like wine, there are sweet wines that are better. Ones like Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Sauternes, etc. are considerably more available than they were in the Blue Nun heyday. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/6 "2023-05-18T14:16:24Z")
Oh there’s nothing wrong with a good sweet wine, to accompany a dessert. Just not with steak and chips! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/7 "2023-05-18T14:21:46Z")
I like me some dessert wine for sure, especially Tokaji Aszu. But it’s definitely a “every year or two” kind of thing for me. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/8 "2023-05-18T16:07:28Z")
Blue Nun? What about Mateus? Very popular back in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/9 "2023-05-18T16:38:51Z")
When my parents moved out of their house into a condo about 15 years ago, we found a bottle of Mateus that was probably purchased in the 70s. We didn’t check to see if it aged well. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/10 "2023-05-18T16:45:58Z")
It wasn’t a very good wine, but I did like the blue bottles. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/11 "2023-05-18T16:59:48Z")
Probably the same thing that happened to Champale, or whatever that weird pink sparkling wine was from the 70s and 80s. And, Andre Cold Duck. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/12 "2023-05-18T17:02:02Z")
Cold Duck is still around, the problem was it was always awful. I remember Asti Spumante replacing as the cheap champagnes substitute. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/13 "2023-05-18T17:04:02Z")
All those brand names, including Blue Nun, just seemed ubiquitous in the 70s and 80s (yes, and Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante, say yesss), and now they all seem to be gone, or at least much, much less popular. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/14 "2023-05-18T18:52:35Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Martini and Rossi Asti Spumante, say yesss) I came in here specifically to say these very words. Was also going to ask Can you Canoe? But that isn’t a wine, it’s a cologne. My young mind went to drinking and not boinking while watching that commercial. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/15 "2023-05-18T19:22:08Z")
Timely. I just read a character in a book describing an incident in her youth and sitting down afterwards with a bottle of Blue Nun. It _was_ ubiquitous back in the day. Blue Nun for white; Mateus for red. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/16 "2023-05-18T19:54:00Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I suspect that they’re just cheaper than imported Liebfraumilch… I understand they have [truckloads of cheap domestic wines](https://www.art.com/products/p15063499198-sa-i6847868/lee-lorenz-cylinder-on-tank-truck-is-labelled-in-huge-letters-cheap-white-wine-new-yorker-cartoon.htm), and don’t need boatloads now. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/17 "2023-05-18T20:11:31Z")
We used to call it Leapfrog Milk. I recall seeing it in a liquor store relatively recently, just not Blue Nun brand. Mrs. Martian has lately been partial to German Rieslings (or a few American Dry Rieslings). Schmitt Söhne makes some inexpensive ones which she likes. ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/18 "2023-05-19T01:56:28Z")
Back then, it was a better alternative, and even fancy, against some reddogs like- Gallo, Riunite, and Mogen David. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/19 "2023-05-19T12:33:37Z")
What I was getting at is that Blue Nun is $11.99 for a 750 ml bottle at Total Wine, while the _most_ expensive white zinfandel is $11.99 for a 1.5 liter bottle. So the most expensive white zinfandel is half the cost of Blue Nun. The “ur”-white zinfandel, Sutter Home is $8.47 for a 1.5 liter bottle, making it even cheaper, with a few brands coming in as low as 3.99 per 750ml bottle. Blue Nun was probably a bargain in its time, but it’s not the cheap sweet wine of preference anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Blindmellowjelly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindmellowjelly/32/13920_2.png) [@Blindmellowjelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blindmellowjelly)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208/20 "2023-05-21T05:15:03Z")
I think this speaks to the sea change in imported wine vs. domestic wine over the last thirty years in America. Back then it was ripple vs. Pinot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-liebfraumilch-blue-nun/984208.md?page=2)