When you hear the terms “Old World” and “New World” wines, it might call to mind images of long dead European explorers commanding fleets of ships to explore unknown territories. If you’re a history nut, you’re already sold, but what could this possibly have to do with the bottle of wine sitting on your counter?
A lot, actually. In fact, where in the world a wine is made greatly influences a wine’s aroma, ABV, sweetness or dryness, acidity, flavor and more. The characteristics of the land where grapes are grown influence the wine, but so do the vineyard and winemaking practices of the producers.
When it comes to Old World vs. New World winemaking, both the land and the winemaking traditions come into play. Curiously, there’s a growing trend in the wine world where New World wineries are returning to Old World winemaking traditions.
But before we begin to crack open that mystery, let’s get one thing straight:
Old World wine comes from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, while New World wine comes from...well, everywhere else. This isn’t to say that all wine from the Old World tastes one way and all wine from the rest of the world tastes another way. The difference between the two lies in winemaking practices.
Old World wineries are, as the name suggests, situated in the oldest winemaking regions in the world with grape vineyards dating back centuries. This is where winemaking was born, where techniques were discovered and perfected over generations. Subtlety is an art, and it’s one that Old World winemaking respects. Old World wines tend to pull back on the intensity of flavor, ABV and body to let the wine’s natural acidity and minerality take center stage.
New World wine, on the other hand, is all about experimentation and explosions of flavor. New World winemaking regions are much younger than the Old World, meaning they’re still finding their identities, especially in very young wine regions like California. These wines turn up the dial on everything: flavor, ABV, body and character. A great example of this style of winemaking is the Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon; these wines are typically big, bold and fruit-forward.
Many wine drinkers love full-bodied, flavor-packed wines...so why are some New World wineries switching gears to practice Old World winemaking techniques that minimize those qualities?
To answer this, we sat down with ABC wine expert Nathan Dale, a WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) Level 3 Sommelier. (See also: he knows his stuff.)
Nathan recently visited California to meet with winemakers in the Valley, ask them about their processes and get to the bottom of why Old World winemaking is taking a foothold in the New World. Here’s what he had to say.
A: Old World winemaking is a more rustic style, often with less ripe fruit flavors and lower ABVs. By pulling back on the full-throttle style that most California wines have been made in for the last 20 or so years, the wines are showing more of an elegance and are less “in your face” than they have been.
A: I attribute this to canopy management and not allowing the fruit to get as ripe and full of sugar as it has in the past, therefore keeping the ABV down. Also, there is less use of new oak in Old World winemaking. Used or “neutral oak” imparts less tannin* and flavor into a wine, allowing it to age more softly, showing its texture.
*Tannins: Naturally occurring phenolic compounds found in many kinds of foods, including grapes, dark chocolate, coffee, tea, nuts and more. When you take a sip of wine and your cheeks feel dry or puckered momentarily, that’s the tannins at work.
A: Kind of a mix.
One thing that I think about is what wine critic Robert Parker did for wine flavors and textures in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. Parker’s rating style was geared toward powerful Bordeaux wines with huge tannin structures and tremendous ageablilty. The "Parkerization" of wine had everyone looking for wines that were pushed to the max on flavor, oak, ABV, etc. This trend is starting to wain, allowing wines to show more of their terroir* and less of the winemaker's hand.
*Terroir: French for “earth” or “land,” terroir is the collection of environmental factors that affect the quality of grapes and, therefore, the wine. A winemaking region’s unique terroir consists of its soil content, climate, topography, surrounding plants and animals and more.
The younger generation that is starting to get into wines wants to learn more about where these wines are coming from and what the impact of terroir really means, and that’s the reason for this recent shift toward Old World winemaking.
A: Jordan was a big standout, as they make only two wines, a cabernet and a chardonnay, and they are so Old World in style to the point that it could be difficult to identify them as a New World winemaker in a blind tasting.
Trione is another one. The current winemaker was an assistant at Jordan for 12 years, so they’re starting to make their wines in a similar style as well. They are pulling down the oak regiment and allowing the acidity of the wines to shine.
Gibbs is making their chardonnays in a much more Burgundian style with less oak and higher acidity and really showcasing the terroir of Napa Valley.
Those three are really leading the charge, from what I saw.
A: Again, this all comes from letting the land do the talking. Chardonnay is having less new oak put on it, letting the citrus flavors shine. Winemakers are using less malo* and making chardonnays that show less tropical fruits and more stone fruits. Think peaches and apricots instead of pineapple and passionfruit.
*Malo: Malolactic fermentation, which converts the zippy malic acid in wine into the much softer, buttery, lactic acid.
Cabernet ABVs are coming down, bringing more elegance and finesse to them. Napa cabs in the ‘70s were often no more than 12.5% ABV, but as temperatures rise in the Valley, it’s not uncommon to find cabs with 15.5% ABV and higher. Lately, many of the Napa cabs have been in the upper 13s to lower 14s, which lets the wines speak about where they are from. It’s a beautiful thing.
A: To answer that, we’ve got to go back to 1920. Had Prohibition not happened in this country, I think we would be in a very different place in American winemaking. European tradition was halted, and commercialization crept in after 1933, leaving people scrambling to find identity in American wine. We’re still searching for that today, I think.
I was told many years ago by one of my favorite winemakers that oak is intended to lend a helping hand, not be the shining star of any wine. This has always resonated with me in how I assess wines. Letting Mother Nature have her say in the flavors can really show what wine is all about.
This all being said, I do believe that this trend will continue. And I really hope it does, because Napa is an amazing place to grow wine, and it should be allowed to speak as loud as it can.
