Wine Education 101 – Wine Fight: New World v. Old World Wines

The following definition is from Wikipedia:

Old World Wine refers primarily to wine made in Europe but can also include other regions of the Mediterranean basin with long histories of winemaking such as North Africa and the Near East. The phrase is often used in contrast to “New World Wine” which refers primarily to wines from New World wine regions such as the United States, Australia, South America and South Africa. 

Anyone who has ever tried to purchase a french or italian wine for the first time already knows there is a significant difference between old world wines and new world wines. This difference is both significant and fundamental and not just because an old world wine label is more difficult for Americans to read and understand.

Since old world winemakers have been at this whole winemaking thing longer than most of the rest of the world, they have had quite a bit more time to figure out which vine stocks make the best wines based on the “terroir” of the “appellation”. In the wine world, these are two important terms:

Terroir – Wine critics disagree as to an exact definition of this term, however, in general terms terroir refers to the interaction of the climate, soil, and topography on the grapes and grape vines.

Appellation – A geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. The rules that govern appellations are dependent on the country in which the wine was produced. The term is often used interchangeably with viticultural area.

Each appellation in the old world has established strict rules and laws regarding both their blended and non-blended wines. For starters, these rules and laws dictate the grape varietals which can be grown in each appellation. For instance, a red left bank Bordeaux will always be a Cabernet Sauvignon usually with Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended in to soften the tannins. A right bank Bordeaux, on the other hand, will always be a Merlot usually with Cabernet Sauvignon blended in to give it more character and structure.

These same Old World rules and laws also dictate how the wines of any appellation are labelled. Continuing with our Bordeaux example, both bottles would contain the name of the specific Bordeaux appellation. The left bank bottle might be named something like Haut-Medoc or Margaux, while the right bank bottle might be named a Saint Emilion. The label would also indicate the winery’s classification. Traditionally those wines listed as first growths (Premiers or 1 er Crus) had the best reputations and the highest prices. Back then this equated to quality. These days a bottle of Petrus which is from the right bank Bordeaux appellation of Pomerol will cost you more than any of the five first growth wines.

Now I know some of you are asking is this really all that different from how new world vintners label their releases? After all, don’t most American wine consumers think quality is equated with the amount of information contained on the label? Shouldn’t a 2005 Finn’s Cabernet Sauvignon, C.H.’s Vineyard, Private Reserve Special Selection be far better than 2005 Finn’s Cabernet Sauvignon, California and isn’t that kind of similar to the classification systems found in the old world? Well, much like the old world, you can no longer equate quality with over simplified rules. Often times, The Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator will rank a lower end wine higher than it’s high priced brethren. So in this way, yes, there is not much difference between the two worlds.

However, when it comes to taste and winemaking there is a general fundamental difference between the two worlds. If you were to taste a top-of-the-line Oregon Pinot Noir and a Vosne-Romanee (which is considered the best section of Burgundy, France where they make Pinot Noir wines) should you, as a novice wine taster, be able to tell a difference in most cases. Well, believe it or not the answer is yes. Old world winemakers want you to taste the terroir as part of the experience. When you taste them you should always pick up at least a hint of the soil in which the grapes were grown. Typically, these wines will be a bit fuller than their new world counterparts which utilize more science in achieving their taste.

This is due to two things. The old world winemaker is somewhat limited by the aforementioned appellation rules and regulations in how much he can alter his wine. He is limited in where the grapes can be grown, in how much he can blend in other varietals, and what he can do chemically to alter characteristics of the wine. In the new world, the regulations are looser and most vintners are interested in making the most appealing possible wine (i.e., the most profitable wine). Therefore, as a general rule, most new world wines will have a slightly cleaner taste with less earthiness.

Now, I had always heard this anecdotally, but wasn’t sure how true it was until I had a blind tasting one night with one of my wine groups. Our theme was Ryder Cup. We had U.S. wines tasted against their European counterparts. Since the tasting was done blind, nobody knew which wine was which. We tasted two wines at a time with each side being tasted against its counterpart. The results were consistent with the group: regardless of price, the U.S. wine “won” each tasting in seven out of eight categories.

This told me a couple of things. One, even a novice can tell the difference, and two, U.S. wine consumers do have a collective defined taste. See, I really do learn something new every day and I hope this helped you too.

In the meantime, go out there and veni, vidi, vici, vino!