Background info since people will give suggestions
I have wine once or twice a week and it’s always in a group setting. Ranges from 3-6 people at any given time. Almost always with food. At restaurants or at people’s homes.
Wines range from inexpensive wine to the bluest of blue chip burgundy. Natural wine, champagne, white wine etc all have been consumed.
I have not been sick. No covid. Wine actually tastes fine.
I’m having a different issue. Every single wine I’ve tasted in the last 6 weeks (maybe longer) has been completely uninteresting to me. I’m talking wine up and down the spectrum from all over the world. $30 wines, $20,000 wines and everything in between.
I’m not saying these wines aren’t good. I can taste there are good wines and why those around me are excited about them, but I have a couple sips and I’m done. They don’t spark joy, I’m drinking them cause it’s poured in the glass in front of me and they barely register a decibel in my head. Nothing sparks the light bulb in my head. At this point, I think any passable wine could be in my glass and it’d have the same reaction as say a Leroy Richebourg - just having some wine while hanging out with friends.
Anyone else been in this type of rut? what’d do you? I might just take a few weeks off and not drink any wine
this feels more symptomatic of a wider issue, like depression
I appreciate that’s a massive leap as a response to a straightforward confession of ambivalence, but if something that previously brought you joy is creating nothing, it speaks to a wider issue
I’m trying to get some new things going on - see if they’ll get me going and interested. We shall see. I don’t drink at home so it’s kinda hard to experiment.
I’ve been drinking relatively infrequently lately (doing keto, mostly only drinking at wine events, and the occasional holiday) and it’s helped me enjoy it more, I think.
I’ve been through a similar malaise several times over my wine collecting life. One episode lasted most of the 1990’s. And, since the pandemic, I’m pretty much only interested in drinking Champagne.
Just stop having anything wine. Either you will start craving something or just come back to it after a couple weeks/month. That will give you some better perspective.
Try drinking a simple wine at home. I get burned out from all of the wine dinners. Then I will open a $25 bottle at home, usually a Ulli Stein Riesling, and enjoy it without all of the pretense and pressure of a big group. It always works for me.
Take a break and try to disconnect from everything wine related for a week. Could be stress, anxiety, or something subconscious affecting your outlook. That has helped me in the past when I was in a similar situation. I also find traveling to a wine region always helps rekindle joy for wine.
Seriously, though, give @Jim_Yorke’s comment some thought. (Also welcome to the board, Jim.)
Do you find yourself asking “What’s the point?” Maybe you’re having a mid-life crisis. I had one about 10 years ago when I was in my mid 40s but am pretty sure I recently had an aftershock.
Feel free to take time off from wine and, in your case, the outside expectations. After all, it’s just fermented grape juice.
I hope that all didn’t sound too trite. Be well, Fu.
There was a time when I was drinking in similar settings and I was getting a bit bored of wine. Then I switched tasting groups and wine became fun again. Why? Because the dynamic changed. No longer was I worried about picking out whether a given flavor was blackberry or blueberry. Instead, I was drinking in a couples group and the wine chatter was peripheral to the larger group discussion.
TL,DR: perhaps consider changing the group dynamic
Sometimes you can know too much. Take a break from drinking, and then start exploring wines that you don’t know anything about. Be unaware of scores, be unaware of reputation, break the cycle of familiarity, change the routine. Your brain needs inspiration.
