Everything You Need To Find Out About "Old World" and "New World" Wine

The first New World winemakers in the 18th and 19th centuries typically followed the rules of the Wine-making techniques current in Europe at that time, with the intent of creating wines that closely resembled those available in Europe. Nonetheless, their climates and soils were completely different; often having to contend with sweltering temperatures never experienced in the Old World homeland. For instance, settlers in California found the scorching heat was too much for the production of superior Wine grapes, until finally they realised that the valleys of Napa and Sonoma could benefit from the gaps in the Coastal range of mountains which drew in cold air and fog from the ocean, delivering the important cooling element so necessary for top quality Wine.

New World wines are defined as ...

...wines produced in regions established by colonies of European exploration, that started with a number of the longer voyages in the 15th century.

Put simply, New World wines are just about all those developed in areas besides Europe and the Mediterranean countries.

It was during the 1960s, when traditions ended up being questioned, and boundaries were coming down, that offered New World Wine its opportunity for global success. Brought about within the United States by men such as Robert Mondavi and in Australia by Max Schubert of Penfolds, there came the motivation to change and improve on the Old order. This arrived in combination with an entire rethink of how to communicate and market the wines.

At first, the New World had been simply using prominent names from the Old World; "Australian Burgundy" and "Californian Chablis" became common. International law quickly caught up with this particular practice, however, ruling that Burgundy or Chablis are only able to be made in Burgundy or Chablis. so even though the New World producer could use identical grapes and identical methods to produce a top quality version of one of these renowned wines, he couldn't use any name that the customer would recognize.

The producers soon came to the conclusion that it was the flavour of the various grape varieties that was the single most significant factor in their wines, and arrived at the solution of varietal labelling.These people highlighted the grape variety on the label, their own name, and left it at that. This has transformed the whole way we think about, speak about, choose - and most importantly - purchase Wine. We now understand the importance of the different grapes, as it is these varieties, as opposed to the place of origin, that is stressed on the label. We're all now accustomed to ordering a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir or a Merlot. No other concept has made the enjoyment of Wine so easily accessible to every one.

This accessibility has led to a willingness to test: to purchase and experience the kind of wine we like, wherever it was made, New World or Old World. Now the Old World has recognized that it must move into this modern World so that it can compete and survive, and the naming of grapes on labels has become virtually as common in Europe as any place in the winemaking World.

The challenge for the newer producers is to produce wines which have the high quality of the "originals" from the Old World, which will have the staying power to keep them being bought and enjoyed by wine lovers all over the world. This really is all good news for us; it means that we now have a greater choice of wines than ever before, from a broader number of places. Additionally , it means that we have the chance to experience what some of the world's greatest wines have to offer - at a reasonable price.

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