What Are New World and Old World Wines?

The three different types of New World wines

New World wines come in all sorts of different styles. They can be very light, very fruity, very dry, and very crisp. Because of the very diverse styles of New World wines available, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Luckily, there are a few characteristics you can look for to help you tell the difference between a New World and a traditional wine. - Sugar: New World wines tend to have less sugar than traditional wines. Most New World wines are either dry or semi-dry. Dry wines are typically between 10-12% alcohol and semi-dry wines are between 12-16% alcohol. - Residual Sugar: New World wines have much lower residual sugar than traditional wines. Most New World wines are under 0.5 grams of residual sugar per litre. - Acidity: New World wines have very low acidity levels. Some dry wines may have added sulfites. - Body: New World wines tend to have a lighter body than traditional wines.

Important characteristics of New World wines

- Lightness: New World wines tend to be light in colour and lighter in body than traditional wines.

- Fruitiness: New World wines tend to have much more acidity, sweetness, and fruitiness than traditional wines.

- Crispness: New World wines tend to be very crisp and clean.

- Length: New World wines tend to be much shorter than traditional wines.

What is a New World wine?

New World wines are wines produced in the Americas and are typically produced in the United States and Canada. They are typically produced in the modern, scientific, and efficient manner that is characteristic of the New World. New World wines are typically the most popular type of wine in the modern wine world. New World wineries are much more likely to be owned by large corporations and operated as commercial entities. New World wines dominate the wine lists of restaurants and wine shops.

What is a traditional wine?

A traditional wine is produced in the European style. They are typically dry, light, and crisp with a low residual sugar concentration. Traditional wines tend to be produced in Europe, the Americas, and sometimes Australia. Traditional wines are typically produced in the traditional manner.

What is a fortified wine?

Fortified wines are typically made by adding a spirit to a wine to make it more alcoholic. In the past, this was done to make the wine age more quickly and make it more suitable for storage. Today, however, many wineries use a form of ethanol fortification called “malolactic fermentation” to add complexity and sweetness to the wine. Most fortified wines are sweet and light with low acidity.

How to taste and differentiate New World wines from traditional wines

Before you can determine whether a wine is New World or traditional, you have to know the difference between the two. The characteristics of New World wines are lightness, fruitiness, acidity, and crispness while the characteristics of traditional wines are light color, dryness, and freshness. So how do you taste and differentiate?

- Taste: New World wines tend to have a lighter, more acidic, and more fruit-oriented taste than traditional wines. You’ll often notice this when you sip a wine in the dark and you can’t see the labels. You’ll notice that your taste buds will get a different taste from one wine than the other.

- Smell: New World wines tend to have much more acid, fruit, and fragrance in the nose than traditional wines.

- Mouthfeel: New World wines tend to be much lighter and less filling in the mouth than traditional wines.

- Overall Impression: New World wines tend to be much less complex and have a lighter impression overall than traditional wines.

Conclusion

There is a lot of controversy in the wine world regarding the New World versus the Old World style of wine. So, what is the right answer? The answer is both! New World wines can be delicious, fruity, and crisp while traditional wines can be full-bodied, rich, and complex. The key is to know how to taste and differentiate between the two.