What in fresh hell is Old and New World wine?
Turn off your Bob Marley and PICK A SIDE,
PEOPLE. No, I am completely kidding. I love Old AND New World wine. Binaries,
even in wine, are for squares.
Old World – Europe. Honestly, that is
pretty much it.
New World – Not Europe. Pick a country, if
it makes wine and isn’t in Europe, it is New World.
(that photo isn't mine, I am stealing borrowing it from google.)
What the eff that even means:
A few basic differences; Old World, typically labels by the geographical
region, or wine making house. Which is why you are roaming around the liquor
store wondering what the eff kind of grape a Burgundy is. Red I guess? The
colour Burgundy is a shade of red? Nope, Burgundy is a place. Specifically it
is a place in France which is known for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But yeah,
Old World focuses more on the ‘terroir’ of the grape (soil, climate, etc.)
rather than the grape itself. In terms of a nature vs nurture thing, Old World
is all about the nurture. Where the grape grew up, how it was raised (pruned,
yield, level of ripeness) and then how it became a useful member of society
(cooperage, [how long wine is aged, and in what], amount of sugar and acid
added [yes, you can add sugar to your wine], and sometimes even as specific as
the packaging)
Old World = Old School. Because they have
been making wine since pretty much always, there are tons of rules and laws
surrounding the viticulture (grape growing) and viniculture (wine making).
Drake can’t show up and YOLO with a vintage, there are rules.
The most stark difference right off the bat
between Old and New World wines, is the packaging. Screw-cap wine is
exceptionally more common in New World producers. A bunch of things contribute
to that, but that is a rant for another time. Have you ever seen a reserve wine
from Portugal with a screw-cap? Yes? Stop lying, liar. In Portugal you can’t
call your wine a reserve without a glass bottle and a cork. (Hint: Portugal is
a leader in cork, so they are supporting their own economy) Apart from
screw-caps, you see more colours, puns, eye catching labels on New World Wine.
Again, less tradition, means more wiggle room.
Ok you have grabbed your bottle, now the
largest, and perhaps more important thing for me to point out right now is the
difference in labeling. New World Wines are all about the natural tendencies of
the grape. The grape is the focus on the bottle, rather than the land. Which is
what Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, or Riesling are; kinds of grapes.
By telling you the kind of grape that the wine is, they are giving you some immediate
clues about what the wine will be like. White or Red, is it more prone to be
dry or sweet, general assumptions about flavours, aromas, and mouth feel. Also,
because there is less wine-making tradition, there is a lot more flexibility
about what you can do in terms of the viniculture. Don’t want to keep it in oak
for forever? That’s fine. Want to use oak chips and add a ton of acid to your
wine? Give’r. You have decided only to sell your wine in old CapriSun sacks and
call it your triple reserve? Sounds rockin’.
Once you have a reputation, people expect
things from you. I mean despite the touch and go patches the Clinton sisters
are now trying to save the world and have stable families.
Reputation=Expectation
I feel like that is the name of a rap song
somewhere.
(*This is also from the internet)
Ok so you have no idea where that random
Châteaux is in France or what they grow in the mysterious village that is
listed. It is okay, most people don’t know every single corner of every wine region
in the world. New World Wine, in my useless
opinion, is a simpler place to begin. My reasoning is that it is because it is once
you can learn about the grape, you can learn about where else to find it and
all the different expressions of it. If you want to jump in and start with a
map of Italy that you’re going to memorize all of before you can talk to me
about some basic grapes, I am going to high five you and then buy you whiskey
because you likely have stopped drinking wine.
In terms of the actual wine itself, even
once you’re looking at the same grape, there are some differences between the
world’s of wine. Typically, Old World Wine has crisper acidity since it is made
to be enjoyed with food, and less overt fruit aspects. New World has much
brighter, and riper fruit, and it is more commonly seen with New World mass
production a little sugar added to the final product to help make it more easy
drinking for every occasion. New World is also known for the overt use of oak, though there are some exceptions, because viniculture is more flexible there is more new oak used.
One world is not better than the other,
each are delicious.
Now, roam to the liquor store and pick a
grape to see if you like it.
All my love,
M
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