Click here for the full experience: the original pdf-formatted version of this article

Origin.. Geography.. Style.. or Imposture?

Book of Bertil. 32.

Introduction:

More and more some of you are asking me to write about specific subjects, I must say that I like this challenge that forces me to reconsider the acuity of my knowledge. But even more, to think about how to popularize them to make them less elitist and more accessible. In this world of autocracy "Virginitas Linguae" I am afraid that soon we will no longer be able to ethically speak of the New World and the Old World due to the possible unacceptable consequences of offending the citizens of the opposite world. However, in the world of wine, this terminology is surely the most precise and concise of the two organoleptic styles of wines produced "in all the world".

Chapter 1 Verse 32.1:

Origin, Cliché and rivalries

32.1.01 Geography

The new world geographically is the world not only discovered but, above all, exploited for commercial purposes by the colonizers of the old world from the sixteenth century onwards. The term refers to the exoticism of products from the discovery of new continents, and in general this term applies to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and North and South America. But surprisingly, this nomenclature does not apply to the countries of the Middle East, considered to belong to the "Old World". It was therefore from the beginning of the export of wines from these continents to Europe in the eighteenth century (with the Constantia wines of South Africa) that the term "New World wine" was used in European royalty.

32.1.02 Cliché

For some journalists, they define the difference "…Generally speaking, it is a question of knowing when the winemaking traditions of the region date back. When we talk about old world wines, it is because historically vines and wine have existed for millennia, that is to say 4,000 to 5,000 years before our era. Obviously, in this circle of wine-growing countries, we find France, but also Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and even Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon and Israel…” **

If the reference is based on "...go back to the winemaking traditions of the region" **, so how should we define the first traces of wine culture in China, which dates back to the 2nd century BC? (This culture was introduced via Central Asia during the Han dynasty.) We also know that the production of grape alcohol by indigenous peoples dates to the same period in North and South America.

Another theory would be geo-climatic. "…One might be led to think that the difference between the Old and New Worlds lies simply in a matter of climate (cold for the Old World, hot for the New)…” ** Again, how can we explain the wines of the old world produced under the harsh heat of certain regions of Italy or the Middle East, and the cold of the northern regions of the United States and Canada?

Some also rightly assume that "…The age of a vine would allow more complexity and depth to be obtained in a wine. And to imagine that the oldest plants are all grouped together in the old world." **

I pointed out that the oldest variety of Vitis Vinifera vine, the Mission grape variety, has existed on the American continent since the sixteenth century. Originally from Spain, it has been known as Palomino since King Alfonso X in the thirteenth century, and in addition almost all the vines of the "Old World" have been grafted onto American vines from the "New World" since 1871. And finally, that the average age of a vine before being replaced is 30 years, regardless of the continent where it is planted. So where is the basis of this theory?

Chapter 2 Verse 32.2:

A style

32.2.01 New World

What if New or Old denotes a style of wine with very specific typicity? So, we could talk about a wine that is "very New World" or "very Old World", regardless of its geographical origin. It therefore seems to me that the original reasons for the terminology are solely due to the progress of science and technology and the consequent human choices in the viticultural and winemaking practices applied. 

Thus, the expression "New World" refers to a style that refers to fruitier wines that emphasize very ripe aromatics with more residual sugar and less acidity, which therefore gives supple wines with intense fruit flavors that are called “jammy”, and with much higher alcohol levels. New World is also usually understood to mean a more liberal use of wood, as the ageing of wines in new, heavily toasted barrels can indeed impart aromas and flavors that contribute to the notion of sweetness such as vanilla, caramel, chocolate or cinnamon, or the entire family of empyreumatic aromas.

32.2.02 Old World

But when we talk about "Old World" style, we are referring to wines that are not only fruit-oriented, with lower alcohol levels, and that are less wood-oriented. The aromas and flavors can be more complex, and often also more delicate. The fruit aromas are less often jammy. For example, we talk about fresh raspberry aromas rather than raspberry jam. You can also add to this vegetal, floral, mineral or earthy notes. Aromas that are a priori less unifying than those of fruit, but which give more complexity and interest to the wines. These wines are also often endowed with more acidity and "noble" tannins.

32.2.03 Imposture

If the maintenance of ancestral traditions and the ethical values of the Appellations of Origin have made it possible to differentiate two styles of wines in relation to their geographical origins, today the impact of more than forty years of some wine critics have managed to modify a very large part of the world's production to "New World" styles to please a new generation of consumers—these wines are classified under the term "Parker Syndrome". But as excess always brings a counterpart, we are seeing more and more wines from winegrowers who opt for an "Old World" style in the "New World" continents.

Chapter 3 Verse 32.01:

Characteristics

Characteristics of New World wines:

• Wider body
• High alcohol content
• Lower acidity
• Strong fruit aromas

 Characteristics of Old-World style wines:

• Lighter body
• Less alcohol
• Higher acidity
• Less fruity flavors, more mineral and vegetal flavors.

But then how can we as a consumer identify the specific style of a wine when it is purchased, knowing that at first glance the label will not indicate it?

32.3.02 The hidden identity of the label.

It is important to remember that today geographical origin has very little influence on the "New or Old" style of a specific wine, and that the only way to refer is to the style of the production house and its winemaker, but also the reference of the score given by different wine critics.

If your taste is more oriented towards the "New World Style", you should refer to:

• Robert Parker / The Wine Advocate
• Wine Spectator
• James Suckling
• Wine Enthusiast
• Esther Mobley - The San Francisco Chronicle

If your taste is more oriented towards the "Old World Style", you should refer to:

• Decanter
• Jancis Robinson
• Eric Asimov – The New York Times
• Dave McIntyre – The Washington Post
• Patrick Comiskey – The Los Angeles Times
• Antonio Galloni – Vinous

Conclusion:

I fundamentally believe that there are no good or bad styles of wine, but rather that there are artisan wines, what we call Authors' wines. They are different from the commercial and industrial wines that are called "Laboratory wines" or “Technical wine”. At Bonde Fine Wine we leave room for all styles of wines, only and only if these wines are wines of winemakers who through their wines have a story to tell us. Because we are convinced that real wines have a soul.

*Memorandum: My words and opinions in these newsletters are and would always be personal, and I intend to offend. I always accept that others have the full right and duty to challenge me, to argue, and, if it is necessary, excommunicate me from their beliefs (often dull and hollow) because I would act the same way if it were the other way around.

** For political and respectful reasons, I would not disclose the source and     the names of its journalists. Because I don't need more enemies.

Mr. B