>>>Maybe your wife is from the Blaukraut (Southerners? Bavarian? Just kidding...) area and looked up the translation to english what comes up to red cabagge.
>>>
>>She was from Bavaria, a tiny village named Schonebach, near Augsburg.
>>We were there many times. Most of her family there are farmers, so we got some great food and beer.
>>I don't know her red cabbage recipe but your outcome sounds a lot different from hers.
>>I've never tasted red cabbage as good as hers, but maybe I'll have to find a way to taste it your way.
>
>So more swabian then bavarian.
>If hers never was bright red don't try mine. It might not be your taste. Hm. The area around Schönebach (that's realy tiny) looks more sour (i.o.w. wet, swampy) so possibly you should give it a try. We do the biggest cabagge available and reheat the left over again and again. It got's an other taste every time. Just like Sauerkraut

Sounds almost like the serbian mantra about sarma being the best the third day, whereby someone would vehemently advocate the fifth day as even better.

Actually, I've noticed that the whole family of plants - kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and yes, the fresh cabbage - taste better when reheated. There's some fermentation going on which improves the taste slightly. Can't pinpoint or even describe the difference, but I sense it every time.