Losing interest in wine?

This year and a half have been stressful and informative. After a phase of cracking some(not all) of my prized bottles, I went the other way and tried discovering younger and cheaper offerings. Now I find myself just not at all touched by what is in my glass. I can taste it, no loss of sensation, but I don’t really care about it. It is a lubricant to wash down food. So I have stopped buying and am drinking much less. It may be depression and I have been obsessed with Waiting for Godot lately. Am I alone on this road with an almost barren tree?

Hey Robert,

I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of us have run out of steam. This has been a very difficult year even for those who haven’t been taken ill or suffered financially. Depression is a normal part of the cycle of life and it sounds like you are low right now. Exercising, trying a creative outlet and reconnecting with friends or family are all ways that I’ve found relief from the occasional depressive bout. Perhaps they might work for you. Wishing you a quick return to better times.

I am sure a lot of us go through extended phases where we drink very little wine (ex - switch to spirits for a few months)

Peaks and valleys, hills and dales, ups and downs…I think these occur in pretty much everybody’s path on the hobby/enthusiast trail.

Even people who haven’t noticed probably have it happen…times when they are in the mood, and times when not.

My advice is to lie back and wait. I bet the joy will emerge again as things get settled. Not to be specifically political, but these times have so much political anger and national acting out that I’ve become repelled by many of my fellow citizens and (now former) friends. I don’t think the mood of the nation has ever really concerned me before, but this is something new and depressing. I think you’d be crazy not to be a little depressed! (I mean that in no argumentative way, just saying you aren’t alone.) Plus, our typical joyful routines have been interrupted, it’s been harder to stay physically close to friends and loved ones, we might have known people who died…

So, to the good part: what do you think waiting for Godot is about? What do you think the actual setting is? Is it a dark comedy, or a smoldering tragedy? It’s one of my all time favorite literary works, so I won’t pollute things yet with my own definitive take.

Added: I get great joy and energy from this place. I recommend people use it! WB is absolutely full of great human beings…even if we have tiffs now and then.

I wish you the best!

I have drunk less than one case of wine this year, despite my family and friends luckily maintaining physical and mental health and prosperity during tough global times. Odd, I agree.

What other things are strong interests of yours? E.g. golf, the gym, hiking, cooking, tennis. Are those still as meaningful to you as they used to be, or are those other things not doing it for you now?

I guess the point of that question is to try to tease out whether this is a wine thing specifically, or whether wine is one casualty of a larger issue.

Is the problem the wines you are drinking? That you just are not interested in the “younger and cheaper offerings” you are trying? Try a few old favorites and see if they thrill you more. Maybe you need to drink wine less often and drink wines that thrill you? I know for me I don’t really like drinking wine just to be drinking wine. It has to taste good for me to want to drink it.

I go through periods of looking at my wine fridges and not being really excited to drink anything. When I do pop something I don’t click with it either. It always passes.

Did you retire in this time frame ?? Related ??

Thanks all for responses. Many of the things I enjoy have been on hold as we wait for some return to normalcy. Traveling has been paused and I find eating alfresco on a city street do be a downer even though I try and support the local eateries. Exercise is hiking and or running which gets me back to Godot, passing time. We are planning to get to England this month and just seeing a different landscape will be a welcome change.
As far as Godot, My reaction to it is pretty slippery at present. “Nothing to be done.” When I first read that opening, I thought it was ridiculous. Then seeing it performed made me laugh. Now that line makes me cry. I only recently got a handle on why the character is named Lucky. Lucky is the only one equipped to deal without questions. The only hope is a few leaves on a barren tree.
Back to wine. The only pleasure I remember in last few months is the fabulous nose of some Gruener Veltliner. The perfume and flowery nose that I once rejected as too much, now strikes me cheerful and affirming. Not in love with it on the palate but sticking my nose in the glass is often enough. Ah well.

I have been more interested in buying wines that are less expensive but no less interest in wine. It is hard for me to justify wines over $50 right now.

Haven’t lost any interest at all. In fact, not having to show up at work clean and presentable, we’ve probably increased our uptake a bit. I figured if I were to die of COVID, at least I’d have the good stuff in me.

But I was never on the hunt for some wine I just had to have. No lists and don’t buy a lot on release. It’s most definitely one of the things I still enjoy. It’s what we drink with dinner - what else would there be? Right now I’m in the middle of a rosé from Savoie and it’s delightful. Almost as good as the one from Gascogne I just had a glass of. The thing about wine is that you never run out of new discoveries and I feel like a dog that just found his favorite toy since he last saw it five minutes ago - a brand new joy!

Although it sounds like a cliché, exercise and sunshine are the best antidotes to the blues, or general malaise. It’s one of the main reasons I relocated to the west coast - the eternal sun. So if you can get out and take a walk or bike, even if you still don’t feel full of vim and vigor, it’s good for your mental health anyway.

So all the best to you - England isn’t all that sunny! But a change of scenery is fun and here’s hoping you find fun in wine again!

Who knows? Maybe you’ll find joy in warm beer!

Not sure if this is useful or not Robert but I was doing some reports on CT this past spring and happened on the purchases by year report. I have no recollection of why, but apparently I bought a grand total of 7 bottles in 2014. Guess I was more interested in other things that year. I purchase in the 000’s most years.

There have always been ebbs & flows to how I approach & appreciate wine over the years. Took WSET almost 20 years ago, tasted & took prodigious notes for years after. Still have dozens of little notebooks full of my notes buried in drawers. Finally burned out on that approach - take no notes now, still open 3-5 wines per week, but don’t geek out too much these days. Also, not opening cherries for now…Like many (maybe you?) I’m still waiting for more happier and consistent ‘normal’ times.

Not projecting but if you were me, I’d consider it an “ebb”. Best to you on your journey.

+{whatever number we’re on now}

At least a few times a year, I find my interest in wine wanes; it’s always temporary. Those times become Beer Times.

and +1 on Anton’s question about Beckett’s play. I find it brilliant, and am not willing to pigeon-hole it. (Christopher Guest’s movie, “Waiting for Guffman,” is a very worthy satire thereof, btw)

happily, I’m still passionate about it but Covid has made me open more cherries. I agree with the opinion that the OP is a bit depressed and hope all improves and wine again shines.

Those of us who are not billionaires simply have to reconcile ourselves with the cold hard ugly reality that we are not drinking as well as we did in the old days.

The epic $50 to $125 grand cru burgundies we tasted back then now cost $1500 to $5000 or more, and there’s no way any 21st Century $15 table wine will be able to recreate the experiences we once experienced.

There are good inexpensive wines out there, but most inexpensive wine is garbage.

Personally, since we went Keto, I’ve been concentrating really hard on cooking [from scratch], and experimenting with different flavorings in food, and savoring the inexpensive wines which are excellent accompaniments to a meal.

Also, I’d strongly urge you to only ever drink in the intimate personal presence of a human* companion.

Drinking alone is a great big no-no.

*And no, felines & canines & goldfish are NOT human.

Sorry. They just aren’t.

Agreed.

Oh lol wow

Well of course most wine is garbage too.

I was going to post a list of all the wines I’ve bought for under €20 this year but I cant make it pretty from CT, trust me there’s a lot and they are awesome.