WHINE 62: OLD VERSUS NEW WORLD WINES
Welcome
Teresa Ferreiro of Barcelona, Spain to the Whine.
WHAT
DO YOU LIKE:
After dividing wines in red and white perhaps the biggest division is
between wines from the “Old World” and wines from the “New World.” It might seem inane to place all wines into
two categories, given that there are scores and scores of wine producing
countries, several thousand grape varieties, and hundreds of thousands of
vineyards. Yet, the distinction does
make considerable sense because there are distinguishable differences,
particularly when tasting red wines.
Generally speaking New World wines have
higher viscosity, meaning they taste thicker.
This is largely due to the higher alcohol content. Sometimes this difference is described in
terms of boldness, sometimes as heaviness, or simply bigness. Most of the major New World producers
(Australia, California, Chile, Argentina) have longer growing seasons and
hotter, drier climates than the major Old World producers (France, Italy and
Spain). This means that the grapes have
higher sugar content when picked. Also,
producers of New World wines like to market wines that do not need a long time
in the cellar. Thus, they tend to pick
the fruit later in its cycle, again leading to less need for long
cellaring. Unfortunately most consumers
on this side of the Atlantic don’t bother to cellar their wines and tend to
pull the cork within hours of purchase.
Another generalization, although with many,
many exceptions, is the fact that Old World producers are more likely to blend
their wines, making them a little more subtle in flavour. Perhaps part of the reason for this is that
New World wines are more likely to marketed by varietal, and less likely to be
labelled by sub-region or sub-sub-region.
TASTING
OLD AND NEW:
At the end of August I organized a wine-tasting for members of the
Maritime Seniors Golf Association. The
second evening, after a beautiful day on the course, golfers gathered for a
pre-dinner tasting.
Following a white wine starter, I chose
four red wines for tasting; two of which were Old World and two were New
World. While nibbling on crackers and
cheese everyone blind-tasted a Bordeaux (France), a Rijoa (Spain), a Cabernet
Sauvignon (California) and a Malbec (Argentina). The wines were tasted in no particular order
and some went back to each wine on more than one occasion.
In addition to attempting to identify the
wines (in terms of Old versus New World, country, and varietal) everyone was
asked to name the wine that they liked best, and also the wine they liked
least. Each wine cost in the vicinity of
$ 20.
When I looked at the ratings I was
surprised to note that there was almost a four-way tie in terms of which wine
was preferred. Similarly there was
virtual tie in terms of least preferred wine.
Thus it looked at first like a random picking. However, when I looked a little more closely
at the data (mining data was what I did back when I was an academic) I found a
most interesting relationship. To a
person those who chose either the French or the Spanish wine as their favorite
chose either the Californian or the Argentinian wine as their least
favorite. With one exception those that
chose one of the New World wines as favorite chose one of the Old World wines
as least favorite.
I found the above result to be quite
amazing. It suggests to me that there is
no point in arguing about the merits of New versus Old World wines. Some people prefer the taste of the bigger
and bolder wines, whereas others prefer the lighter tasting wines. Perhaps when someone says “I have no idea
what I am drinking but I know what I like” they are being quite accurate. In fact when I think of my wine-loving
friends I can with no difficulty divide them into those who like the Old World
and those who prefer the New.
OLD
VERSUS NEW WHITE WINES: To my taste the difference between Old and New World is not as great
when it comes to whites. Yet, there are
differences, again following the same dimensions as above. At a personal level I am definitely a New
World red wine enthusiast, but most of the time I gravitate toward the Old
World when choosing a white.
My favorite white wine is Chablis which comes from the Burgundy
area of France and is made from the Chardonnay grape. I find most Chablis so much more elegant than
the heavier, frequently overly oaked Chardonnays that are so associated with
California.
More recently I discovered Albarino, which comes from Galacia in
northwest Spain. This crisp, zesty wine
has hints of citrus as well as minerals and reminds one of Viognier, another of my favorite grapes. The same grape is also grown in Portugal
where it is called Alvarinho. This wonderful grape is now beginning to find
its way to the New World, California in particular.
If you are looking for something other than
your usual Sauvignon Blanc or your Pinot Grigio (and if you have lots of money),
try a real French Chablis. If you have less to spend see if you can
locate a bottle of Albarino
OPIMIAN
OFFERING 236: A couple of recommendations this time.
8328 GMH Meritage--good value everyday wine
8320--Hastwell and Lightfoot cabernet--a more expensive wine for just the right meal
