New World Vs. Old World Wine

I have made references to New World and Old World Wines in a few other entries and have gotten a few messages asking me to explain the differences between the two.

Geographically speaking, Old world wines come from Europe- France, Italy, Germany, etc...and the Middle East. New World refers to non-European countries- Americas, Australia, New Zealand etc...

There is also a wine STYLE difference. Old world wines tend to be lower in alcohol, higher in acidity, with more minerality, are less fruit forward and more terroir driven. A few descriptors of Old World wines are: Clay, loam, silt, wet rocks, petrol, leather, forest floor, tobacco, tree bark, and so on. (I bet you can't wait to crack open a bottle of German Petrol Riesling now, eh?)

New World wines will frequently be the opposite with low acidity, higher alcohol, and more robust and vibrant fruit flavours. A few New World descriptors are: Plum, cherry, cassis, pepper, spice, strawberry, blueberry and so on.

 New World wines are typically seen as drinkable and delicious younger in life, whereas the high end Old World wines are seen as needing a bit of age to reach optimum drinkability.

A few of my New World selections

A few of my Old World selections