Blue Nun, the German wine that became a byword for 80s embarrassment, is back on UK shelves with a new look and a new owner. The brand, created in 1921, was the best-selling German wine of all time and went massively viral in the 80s, but fell out of favour as palates turned drier.
Now, after being bought by Les Grands Chais de France, it has been given a facelift and re-released. It is available in Asda for £5.52 a bottle.
A history of reinvention
Blue Nun was originally an easy-drinking, semi-sweet white wine known as Liebfraumilch, made from the Müller-Thurgau grape. The name comes from a printing error – the habits of the nuns on the label were turned from black to blue. Liebfraumilch is a medieval term describing 'beloved lady's milk' from convents and monasteries in the Rhine Valley.
The style has evolved over time, becoming drier and more Riesling-dominated, mirroring shifting tastes. The iconic blue bottle was introduced in a 1997 relaunch. This is not the first comeback – the brand had a makeover in 1998, a resurrection in 2001, and a reinvention in 2010. The label's nun has also transformed, from an original image some see as 'disturbingly come-hither' to a more traditional drawing with a Florence Nightingale-style vibe.
From peak popularity to mockery
Blue Nun's peak in the UK was 1984 to 1985, when the brand was shifting 3.5 million bottles a year. It was taken to parties, served at dinners, and drunk by students, seen as a step up from Snakebite and Black. Then tastes changed, and people began to deny ever liking it.
On social media, it has faced harsh criticism. Andreas Schmidt wrote: 'It was good for cleaning the toilet.' Katie Swinton called it a 'hangover in a bottle'.
Why it might work this time
The columnist suggests the new iteration could succeed because of nostalgia for the 80s and 90s, with vol-au-vents and tinned fish popular again, and younger generations without the Blue Nun baggage. Many haven't even heard of it. Its 9.5% ABV also fits a current obsession with moderation.
Tasting notes on two versions: Blue Nun Authentic White (9.5% ABV, £5.52, Asda) is off-dry with a note of wet river stone, a zing mid-sip, and white flower and honeycomb on the finish. Blue Nun Riesling (9.5% ABV, £8.49, Drinksupermarket.com) is a notch up, with citrus on the nose, lemon sherbet and lemon meringue on the palate, leaner and drier with a pop of citrus honey on the finish.
The columnist predicts the public will like the new version, calling it crowd-pleasing and off-dry but not sickly, and says anyone who still finds it embarrassing is showing their age.
