BY THE GLASS
IN THE wine world, there is an almost unwritten dichotomy. On one end, we have the Old World wines, and on the other end, the New World wines. Old World refers to countries which were into serious wine production for centuries and centuries already (yup, even during the time BC as history would say).
The first vintners were said to be the Phoenicians and the Greeks. The Phoenicians’ influence in Europe included the triumvirate of what is modern day Italy, France, and Spain — the countries at the forefront of some of the oldest and most traditional wine production. Other Old World wine countries include Germany, Portugal, Austria, and Hungary. A lot of pride and legacy already exist in these wines, and their vineyards and wine regions are already old and tested.
New World, on the other hand, refers to wine-producing countries that have only been into serious wine production in the last century or less. While there were already wines produced in these “new world” countries way back in the past, these wines were more for small domestic consumption and of lesser quality. South Africa, for one, has a wine history dating back to the 17th century when Cape Town founder Jan van Riebeeck, a Dutch colonial administrator, reportedly bottled the first wines from this country as early as 1659. Another example is the United States — it was only after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 that the Americans started planting more vines and improved their winemaking. Now, the US is solidly the 4th largest wine producing country, just behind Italy, France, and Spain. Aside from South Africa and the United States (around 90% of its wine is still from California), other New World wine countries are Australia, New Zealand, South American countries of Chile and Argentina, and even China — which is growing exponentially in terms of vine planting.
Much more than the historical difference in length of serious wine production between the two divisions, there are other general differences between what is Old World wine, and what is New World wine. Below are some of the more salient ones from my point of view:
• The concept of “terroir”: The Old World makes wine from what in French is known as terroir — a difficult word to get an exact English translation for, because it refers to the land, soil, temperature, altitude, coastal influence, growing conditions — all rolled into one. The terroir is different from one region to another, even if similar grape varietals are used. It basically means that every centigrade difference in temperature, every variation in soil composition, rain drops, and other details can alter the quality of grapes, and thus, its finished product — the wine. Terroir cannot be manufactured nor disguised and takes the form of what nature gives to a particular region at a particular vintage year. On the other hand, irrigation systems in support of natural rain, soil transfer, re-cultivation, and other scientific modern methods are used in the New World to create the most ideal vine growing conditions — no longer terroir or “natural” in its purest sense. Vintage is therefore super important when it comes to Old World wine regions.
• Winemaker: Note that there may not even be a term “winemaker” in Europe. The closest term to a winemaker in Europe is a“vigneron” or “viticulteur” — terms that refer more to vineyards than the process of turning grapes into wines. This is because the Old World believes that wine is made by the vineyards, not by winemakers who intervene in the process. On the other hand, winemakers are major influences in the New World. And it makes perfect sense. To overcome the tradition of its Old World counterparts, the New World needed modern winemaking skills to offset whatever inherent advantages the Old World has. Winemakers have within their powers to adjust the wine mix as they see fit. Methods like chaptalization (adding of grape sugar) and acidification (adding of tartaric acid) are pretty much within the manipulative scope of a New World winemaker. Winemakers can salvage a grape harvest from vineyards in bad vintages, and impose their wine style on the finished product. While Old World wine is “made by the vineyards,” New World wine is made after the grapes are harvested from the vineyards, and is “made by winemakers.” It also does follow that 1st growth Chateau Margaux in the Margaux AOC subregion of Bordeaux France will still be very much an amazing wine, even if the vigneron/wine-maker of the estate leaves for another Chateau, as the terroir will remain superior to others, and their wines will continue to be patronized at the highest price levels. On the other hand, a New World winemaker may leave a winery in Napa California, for example, and take with him his award-winning style of winemaking, and show up in Sonoma to create another masterpiece in this neighboring Californian wine region. That is why New World winemakers are highly paid, because of their craftmanship, winemaking skills, and ability to create from given raw materials (vineyards in particular).
• Highly Regulated: In the Old World, there are more governing laws or rules to comply with, including, those on demarcated vineyard area, allowed grape varietals, harvesting, production yields, winemaking methods, and wine labeling. These are monitored by the Regulatory Council of the different wine regions. For example, when it comes to varietal composition, in Bordeaux only the following five grape varietals are allowed in their red wine: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot — though malbec is already almost obsolete now. In Rioja Spain, only the native grapes tempranillo, garnacha, mazuelo, and graciano are al-
Beyond the differences in how long the regions have been making wine, there are other general differences between what is Old World wine and New World wine.