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Blue Nun Gets a Makeover

Blue Nun wine reinvented itself a few years ago — I wrote about it in a chapter in Wine Wars called “The Curse of the Blue Nun.” It stopped being that rather mediocre sweetish German white wine that some of us remember from the 1970s (along with Matteus Rosé) and became something a bit different.

The classic Blue Nun

The classic Blue Nun white wine got better. It became Riesling, not a Liebfraumilch blend, for example. And the brand became more global, with Blue Nun wines in many different varieties (Cabernet, Pinot Grigio, Rosé) sourced from several countries. There was an alcohol-free “lite” Blue Nun and a bubbly wine with tiny sparkly, floaty golden bits to brighten your day.

Blue Nun became a brand with the same sort of broad portfolio of wines that, say, Barefoot Cellars offers. This approach is very successful in today’s market and, as the promotional video above indicates, Blue Nun is back (if it ever really went away).

One key to the transformation was the Blue Nun herself. She was perhaps the one constant. Marketers saw the gentle, friendly nun on the label as a key marketing tool — memorable and and maybe especially appealing to women, who are a target market.

More Than Skin Deep

I was prowling the Wine Wall recently and I noticed that Blue Nun has had a makeover — and it’s more than just skin deep! The surface change is significant, however. The bottle is still blue, of course (but not for all the varieties — see images here). But the blue nun is now only a shadow of her former self — a small golden cameo medallion.

Blue Nun Makeover

The gold highlights a smaller gold seal that I thought must be a wine competition award of some sort (all the Barefoot bottles feature them), but turns out to be a seal of “Sichel Superior Vinification.” Good to know!

I guess the sleek modern look and gold accents must now be seen as a more powerful image than the kindly nun. But the change goes deeper than the label.

I was puzzled to see “Rivaner” on the label. “Now made from the classic Rivaner grape, it has more balance, softness and depth of fruit flavor.” That’s what it says on the back. More than Riesling? Really?

More Appetizing?

I wasn’t sure that I’d ever had a Rivaner wine before, so I rushed home to check out my copy of Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine:

Rivaner: another name for müller-thurgau, used in Luxembourg, where it is the most planted grape variety, and, increasingly, elsewhere. Rivaner sounds more appetizing.

And I suppose it does sound more appealing — or maybe just easier for a novice to pronounce. Am I the only wine veteran who didn’t know that  Müller-Thurgau is now Rivaner?

Blue Nun Delicate is another interesting innovation. With just 5.5% alcohol by volume, it rides the Moscato-powered low alcohol  wave (just fyi the Rivaner is only 10% abv).

I’m looking forward to twisting the cap on this bottle with a couple of my research assistants when they get back from a trip to the Northeast. Müller-Thurgau can make fine wine, but its general reputation is for quantity more than quality, especially in Germany. It is the most-planted variety is Rheinhessen, where this wine is from. In Vino Veritas, as they say. How deep is the Blue Nun’s makeover?

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History

The reassurance of the SICHEL SUPERIOR VINIFICATION guarantee that the best vineyards with only the best grapes are chosen, best care in pressing cold fermentation, maturing and bottling.The cold fermentation guarantees the fine fruity aromas which are characteristic for the fresh and fruity German wine and especially the Riesling variety. 

This peerless quality process guarantees, from the vineyard to the glass, that the aroma of ripe grapes from selected vineyards is reflected in every glass of Blue Nun.

Details of the Sichel Superior Vinification.

The Sichel Superior Vinification method determines standards for Blue Nun winemaking and guarantees high quality production from the grape to the bottling process. The core contents of the Sichel Superior Vinification method are the management of grape growing, via a network of contract vintners and long-term partnership with cooperation's, who produce the grapes according to the Sichel Superior standards. The management of grape processing with harvesting in September, grape de-stemming and an immediately gentle press process via membrane press. The pre-fermentation management which guarantees a clear fermentation of must through flotation before the inoculation with cultivated yeast. The fermentation management which guarantees a 100% cold fermentation rate for white Blue Nun wines, to create the well known fruity Blue Nun aroma over a 2-3 weeks running fermentation process. The management of Winemaking and bottlingwhich guarantees highest product standards and quality under usage state-of-the-art technique and traditional manufacturing skills like the constant refilling of the tank after fermentation.

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Vineyards

CRAFTING CLASSIC WINES FROM THE VINEYARDS OF THE ROMANTIC RHINE SINCE 1857

Many stages are involved before a finished bottle of Blue Nun wine is ready to be consumed.

Throughout the year a wine-grower has various tasks to tend to in order to ensure the right flavour, aroma and quality is achieved. Here´s a quick run through some of the most important elements.

In January or February, the old wood is pruned away, a procedure that influences the potential yield and ultimately, the quality of the wine. This is a crucial part of the Sichel Superior Vinification philosophy.

Vineyard activities peak in the springtime. Before the buds burst, the vine´s shape takes form through bending and tying the canes in order to ensure an adequate nutrient supply to the shoots. Ploughing and seeding for green covering, as well as the natural growth of plants in the vineyard, brings the soil to life.

 

Another labour-intensive phase begins after blossoming in June. Ideally the blossoming period, which leads to berry formation is not prolonged. Insufficiently fertilised blossoms can wither and may drop off in the wind and rain, seriously reducing the yield. Removing unwanted shoots promotes growth. Growers also prune clusters in order to reduce yield and improve quality.

Between June and August, a thick leaf wall develops that is kept in shape by tying or binding the shoots. Some of the leaves must be removed in order to increase sun penetration and improve air circulation. Leaf pruning in July and August also regulates the height of the vine.

In July and until the beginning of August there are still ways of influencing the quantity and quality of the grapes. Thinning out some of the pea-sized berries strengthens those left on the bunch. Starting in mid-August, the grapes clearly begin to ripen. The amount of sugar in the berries rapidly increases as the acidity decreases.

Depending on the summer weather, the harvest begins in mid to late September. Rainfall at this time is not desired, because at this stage of ripeness, the grapes would absorb the water and the wetness would encourage rot. Our Blue Nun winemakers measure how ripe the grapes are using a refractometer, which helps to determine the optimal time to begin picking. Grape variety, vineyard location and ripeness all play a role in when the harvest begins.

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Winemaking

Pressing – After picking, the grape vats are unloaded at a pressing station. In white wine production, the bunches of grapes are destemmed and afterwards immediately pressed as gently as possible. The thick liquid produced by pressing the grapes is called the “must”.

Red wine production generally involves one of two methods, which extract the red colour off the skin. One is the fermentation on the skin, during which the skins are left in the must until sufficient tannins and colour have been extracted, then the must is pressed and continues to ferment. The other involves thermal treatment of the must, whereby the juice is briefly warmed or heated to extract colour. After it has cooled, the must is crushed and fermented.

Today, many growers use a combination of the two methods to produce red wine. In rosé wine production, the red grapes get pressed like whites so that the colour pigments will not be dissolved from the skins. 

WINEMAKING

After fermentation, the lees (dead yeast cells) fall to the bottom of the cask or tank and are separated from the young wine by means of racking (transferring the wine to another container, leaving the lees behind).

BOTTLING

Ageing – the storage time in a cask or bottle – can decisively influence the quality and flavour of a wine. White wines are often bottled and marketed after minimal ageing.

The bottling process starts with sterilization of the bottles to ensure total purity and after filling the bottles are immediately closed with screw caps or cork. After this, the wine will be stored at a moderate temperature for a few weeks before being shipped to our supermarkets for you to enjoy.

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