Wine is a complicated topic, but it doesn’t have to be. Much like learning a language, there are phrases, terms and concepts that apply to wine which I think is what confuses so many people. The simplest of these terms that I want to clarify is the difference between new world wines and old world wines.
This is fairly straightforward and you simply need to remember the two classifications in order to understand the differences.
Old world wines are those wines that are made in the regions of the world that have been synonymous with wine making for hundreds and thousands of years. These are places like France, Italy and Spain. These countries have a long history and heritage of wine production and wines from these areas are classified as old world because of this heritage.
New world wine making countries are essentially those outside of the ‘old world’. Countries like USA, Australia and South America. These wines may not have the prestige or heritage normally associated with the old world, but have different things that will appeal to different people. New world wines tend to benefit from riper fruit because the conditions in which they are grown tend to be warm and sunny. The more sun the grapes get, the more sugar they produce, and the fruitier the wines tend to be. This in part is a generalisation as wine makers can manipulate the wine production to create wines of different sorts.
The other factor is price point. Because the new world wines are competing with the heritage of the old world the price point at which they are sold is more competitive, meaning that these wines are more accessible to a wider drinking audience because the price tends to be lower. wine tours in willamette valley