| Let's talk wine basics. Whether you are speaking with a sommelier at a restaurant or shopping at your local wine store, it always helps to have proper terminology to help find exactly what you're looking for. A good place to start is understanding the concept of Old World wines versus New World wines.
We know it can be tempting to write-off a grape varietal after being dissatisfied with a wine and you find yourself saying ...
"I love white wine but I hate chardonnay."
Us wine geeks at Wainscott Main are tempted to reply with ...
"Are you familiar or have you tried Chablis?"
OLD WORLD REGIONS - France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria.
Old World wine tends to have lighter body, lower alcohol, higher acidity, and show more earth-driven flavors.
NEW WORLD REGIONS - North America (California/Oregon/Finger Lakes), South America (Argentina/Chile), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.
New World wine tends toward fuller body, high alcohol, lower acidity, and pronounced/ripe fruit flavors.
Of course, this is almost like the difference between cool climate and warm climate wines. But it’s not that cut and dry. Italy is Old World, but there are Southern regions are hot and sunny making rich, fruit forward wines.
To experience the classic differences for yourself, we recommend tasting two textbook examples of the same grape variety from classic Old World and New World regions. Below are a few of our suggestions!
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