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Winederful Worlds: Old World Versus New World
You may have come across the terms old world and new world and wondered what they meant. It’s pretty simple really. Old world in the wine industry refers to countries where wine making first began. Old world countries include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Moldova, Armenia and Turkey (most of Europe).
New world in the wine industry are countries where winemaking was introduced during or after the age of exploration and colonisation. Currently, the new world countries are USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, China, Japan and India. New countries keep cropping up in the wine world map.
Here are some pointers to help you understand both:
| Old World | New World |
| Labelling | Labelling |
| Old world wines are known by their regional name. For Example Bordeaux, Chianti, Burgundy. | New world wines are known by their grape variety. For Example Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz. |
| Taste (In General) | Taste (In General) |
| Old world wines contain relatively less alcohol,are high in acidity, complex in taste, subtle and light and less fruity. | New world wines contain more alcohol,are less acidic, riper and fuller in taste and more fruity. |
| Wine Style (In General) | Wine Style (In General) |
| The old world wine styles emphasise more on the terroir which means the wine reflects the soil, climate and topography of the region it’s produced in. Traditions are very important in the old world wine and so they strictly adhere to them. | The new world wine adopts clean wine making styles which give utmost importance to inherent notes of the grape variety. New world wine is all about experimentation and innovation. |
Wine consumers prefer one category over the other, but both the worlds have great wines to offer of varied styles and a true wine enthusiast should taste best of both the worlds.
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