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Sunday 1 December 2013

Old World And New World Wine

By Anita Hale


Vitis Vinifera is the main grape used to make wine. The blanket name given to wine-making grapes is "noble grapes." These include white grapes and red grapes. The white grapes are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Grigio. The red grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Grenache. These are just the main grapes. In reality, there are over one thousand different grape varieties.

Obviously, you can buy wine that comes from countries all over the world. However, these countries have been split into two categories. For the purpose of identification they are known as Old World and New World wine countries. Old World wine includes wine made in France, Germany, Spain, England, Romania, Austria, Greece and Italy. New World wines are made in countries that include Australia, new Zealand, America, Chile and Argentina.

Bordeaux is probably the most famous French region for making wine. It is particularly known for the way it classifies its wine. This system is over 150 years old and only applies to wine made on the left bank of the Dordogne river. It involves five levels of rating. This is applied to the top Chateaus of the area. France naturally has other famous wine regions. These include Alsace, Burgundy and Loire Valley.

There are many other famous wine regions in Europe. One example of this is La Rioja in Spain. This produces highly sought-after red wine. However, white wine is also made in there in smaller quantities. Chianti Classico is a famed region in Italy. It produces premium quality medium-bodies wines.

We shall focus on New World wine now. California is one of the biggest New World wine-producing regions. Most wine is produced in Napa or the Sonoma Valley. Cabernet and Zinfadel are commonly grown here. However, California has also established a reputation for numerous varieties of Chardonnay. Many examples are deemed as being over-oaked and bloated.

You have probably heard of the Australian brand "Jacob's Creek". This is extremely popular worldwide. Nevertheless, Australia offers many diverse wine-making regions. These include Margaret River in Western Australia and the Hunter Valley in New South Wales. These regions grow the Semillion grape. This is used to make dry and sweet white wines. The red grape Shiraz is closely associated with the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in South Australia.

New Zealand is fast becoming as popular as Australia for their New World wines. It is mostly known for its Sauvignon Blanc. This is produced in large quantities in the Marlborough region. However, Pinot Noir is also becoming steadily more popular in the country. This is generally grown in Central Otago.




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