A guide to wines of the world
There are many varieties of wine, produced in countries all across the globe. If you want to impress others with your knowledge of wine, this article will help you by giving an outline of the best wines; Old World wines and New World wines.
Old World wines
Old World wines are fine wines that are produced in countries with a long history of wine production. These are mainly located in Europe and North Africa, as the Mediterranean is one of the most productive regions in the wine making world.
While wines from Austria, Romania, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco and other regions are included in the group of Old World wines, they do not have the same sort of flavour or style. Indeed, many of these countries will produce different styles of wine.
More about Old World wines
What characterises Old World wines is the role of the winemaker. The production process tries to reflect the region that wine was produced in, rather than the personality of the maker. This means the role of the winemaker is minimised, while qualities such as the soil type and amount of rain are expressed through the wine.
Old World wine is also less likely to exploit scientific advancements.
New World wines
New World wines are produced outside the traditional wine making regions. Some of the biggest producers of New World wines include Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Canada and New Zealand. New World wines tend to have a higher alcohol content than their Old World counterparts, as the grapes are grown in hotter climates. However, in recent years, cooler vineyards have been identified and the alcohol content has been reduced. During production, New World winemakers are more involved in the process, as there is less emphasis on attempting to reflect the geography of the region the wine came from. New technology, such as the use of enzymes, is more common in New World wine making. Final word Finally, marketing is also different for New World wines. As less emphasis is put on place compared to Old World wines, branding is a much more important marketing tool. Moreover, it is easier for New World winemakers to negotiate with retailers, as there are less restrictions on the size of vineyards, allowing them to produce a lot more wine.