Dear Abby; My wife's tastes are changing, and I don't like it!

[David_Bu3ker]

Mine only likes riesling and rose, so whenever I open a red I’m drinking alone.

Basically Riesling and Champagne for my wife. She does like Port, but that’s not a huge help.

[Doug_Lee]

We have the opposite situation. My wife likes everything but Riesling and Champagne. Well, I guess they’ll age for a while.

Cheers,
Doug

[John_Kight]

My wife has gradually moved from drinking my wines to preferring cheap Pinot (anything in the $7-$18 range at Costco has a high chance of being a “hit” with her). It’s a mixed blessing, as it means that in the rare cases I am just totally in love with a wine, I don’t have to share…but it also means that we’ve got to open two bottles every night and, since I’m drinking mine alone, there will typically be close to half of it remaining the next day (but frequently not tasting as good at that point). This gives me every incentive to drink a little more than I normally might, and, with respect to the “leftovers”, to want to have a glass with lunch the next day (on the assumption that the wine will show better 15-16 hours after opening than it will 24+ hours later).

[Robert_Sand]

Fortunately, she still loves most Champagne, and dry white wines. Most reds and anything with residual sweetness are no-go’s. She used to enjoy, or at least tolerate my beloved Huet Secs which have a little RS. Not anymore. I can sneak an older elegant Nebbiolo, Burgundy, or structured Cru Bojo in now and then, but any red with a hint of dense fruit is rejected. Dessert wines “taste like cough syrup.” She’s an AFWE who’s not even a wine geek!

Thankfully, we have plenty of Champagne, white burgundy (including a good stock of Chablis), Sancerre, bone-dry Chenin Blanc, Muscadet, and other wines that tickle her fancy. The hundred+ cases of fine red wine in the cellar will have to wait for me and my friends to slowly visit, or for her tastes to change again.

Signed,
Forsaken Red

My condolences - that´s not really amusing.
However I know a wine-geek (not really a “friend”), lover of all kind of wines and great food incl. rare steaks who´s partner changed to “no alcohol and all vegetarian” - so it can get much worse

Simply enjoy your reds alone or with similar minded friends

[Corey_N]

My wife has gradually moved from drinking my wines to preferring cheap Pinot (anything in the $7-$18 range at Costco has a high chance of being a “hit” with her). It’s a mixed blessing, as it means that in the rare cases I am just totally in love with a wine, I don’t have to share…but it also means that we’ve got to open two bottles every night and, since I’m drinking mine alone, there will typically be close to half of it remaining the next day (but frequently not tasting as good at that point). This gives me every incentive to drink a little more than I normally might, and, with respect to the “leftovers”, to want to have a glass with lunch the next day (on the assumption that the wine will show better 15-16 hours after opening than it will 24+ hours later).

If you find the wines that you are drinking degrading that quickly, consider investing in a Coravin, Pungo or the like. I have one, which I use infequently (mostly when I want a glass of something sweet), but it seems to work well for the stated purpose.

[MattBerto]

At the risk of piling on more “my wife” stories (and thanks to Sarah for keeping us honest) - my wife’s got a better palate than me but doesn’t geek out about it like I do. That said the other day she opened a bottle from the fridge without notifying me. She then went on to say “I googled it, it was under $30 and seemed to be widely available, so I went for it”, to which, well, can’t really complain.

[Anton_D]

Mine only likes riesling and rose, so whenever I open a red I’m drinking alone.

I don’t see any problem there.

I face an opposite situation…

My wife actually likes more wines than I do.

I am very picky about sauvignon blanc and she likes them all.

I disdain pinot gris / pinot grigio, she’s OK with this group.

I once had a tolerable rose’, she’s down with many.

She has a considerable palate. Without any of the nerdism of knowing a vintage chart or specific written description of a given wine of a given vintage, she can pretty much discern grapes, country of origin, and age with uncanny precision. That might not be saying much, but when she has eyes closed and swirls and sniffs and pops out: “Cab Franc notes, not like Rutherford green pepper, though, not Napa, not Bordeaux, Rhone?, about 20 years old?” and I poured her a 1998 Rhone, I shiver with admiration and some jealousy…I tend to talk myself out of the correct response, she talks herself in to the correct response. She’s the same at the range…each shot closer to the center, and then on target the rest of the session.

[Joe_Chanley]

My wife has gradually moved from drinking my wines to preferring cheap Pinot (anything in the $7-$18 range at Costco has a high chance of being a “hit” with her). It’s a mixed blessing, as it means that in the rare cases I am just totally in love with a wine, I don’t have to share…but it also means that we’ve got to open two bottles every night and, since I’m drinking mine alone, there will typically be close to half of it remaining the next day (but frequently not tasting as good at that point). This gives me every incentive to drink a little more than I normally might, and, with respect to the “leftovers”, to want to have a glass with lunch the next day (on the assumption that the wine will show better 15-16 hours after opening than it will 24+ hours later).

If you find the wines that you are drinking degrading that quickly, consider investing in a Coravin, Pungo or the like. I have one, which I use infequently (mostly when I want a glass of something sweet), but it seems to work well for the stated purpose.

Or just keep a clean 375 bottle around and immediately pour half in and recork. Wine will taste like new for quite a while.

[Rich_Brown]

My wife has gradually moved from drinking my wines to preferring cheap Pinot (anything in the $7-$18 range at Costco has a high chance of being a “hit” with her). It’s a mixed blessing, as it means that in the rare cases I am just totally in love with a wine, I don’t have to share…but it also means that we’ve got to open two bottles every night and, since I’m drinking mine alone, there will typically be close to half of it remaining the next day (but frequently not tasting as good at that point). This gives me every incentive to drink a little more than I normally might, and, with respect to the “leftovers”, to want to have a glass with lunch the next day (on the assumption that the wine will show better 15-16 hours after opening than it will 24+ hours later).

If you find the wines that you are drinking degrading that quickly, consider investing in a Coravin, Pungo or the like. I have one, which I use infequently (mostly when I want a glass of something sweet), but it seems to work well for the stated purpose.

I was going to say the exact same thing. Coravin is 100% your solution here. Use it for the first couple glasses, then pop the cork for the last 1/2 or 2/3’s. Done and done!

[Merrill_Lindquist]

This thread is unique in that people are referring to “my wife,” instead of the dreaded “the wife” or “wifey.” Thanks, gentlemen, for that.

[MattBerto]

This thread is unique in that people are referring to “my wife,” instead of the dreaded “the wife” or “wifey.” Thanks, gentlemen, for that.

What she really hates is “my first wife”

[Anton_D]

This thread is unique in that people are referring to “my wife,” instead of the dreaded “the wife” or “wifey.” Thanks, gentlemen, for that.

What she really hates is “my first wife”

That’s pretty common. I don’t know too many couples who actively socialize with their exes.

[Marshall_Manning]

This thread is unique in that people are referring to “my wife,” instead of the dreaded “the wife” or “wifey.” Thanks, gentlemen, for that.

What she really hates is “my first wife”

Better than “the old ball and chain”!

[John_Kight]

If you find the wines that you are drinking degrading that quickly, consider investing in a Coravin, Pungo or the like. I have one, which I use infequently (mostly when I want a glass of something sweet), but it seems to work well for the stated purpose.

Or just keep a clean 375 bottle around and immediately pour half in and recork. Wine will taste like new for quite a while.

I actually use both of these methods (Coravin and 375 ml bottles) whenever I know ahead of time that I won’t finish a bottle. If I just want “one more glass” at the end of the night and there’s nothing open, I’ll use Coravin. If I know up front that I only need 375ml, I’ll open the bottle and pour half away. However, on many (most) occasions I’ll just open a 750ml about when I’m just starting to cook dinner…in most cases I just don’t know whether I’ll be having just 2 glasses, or whether I’ll be finishing 80-85% of the bottle (leaving behind one glass of wine, for example). I guess I could just start off ASSUMING that I only need 375ml, and then use the Coravin on a fresh bottle if I need another glass beyond that…I’ll give that a try this week.

[R_Scott_Hughes]

I was at the tasting room of a Napa winery a decade or so ago when the jovial pourer suddenly took on a very serious tone. He said, “After a lifetime of drinking wine and many years in the business, I have finally solved the most difficult riddle that any wine drinker has asked. Two couples are enjoying dinner at a nice restaurant - the ordered entree’s include a big steak, a subtly poached fish, a spicy Thai dish, and roast chicken with spring vegetable. How do you order a wine that will pair with each meal?” And his answer, which was both obvious yet genius in its simplicity: “You each order your own bottle”

I have taken this advice to heart, albeit slightly modified. Rather than trying to please everyone with one wine - and leaving no one satisfied, I prefer to open as many bottles as necessary to make everyone happy. And I only occasionally regret doing so the next morning.