New World in an Old World Industry
New World winemaking methods have been around for only a few decades, but they have changed the landscape of the wine industry. The American palate has created an enormous demand for fruity wines, with lower acidity, softer tannins, and the spicy undertones of new oak barrels. Producers in California and Australia have perfected this style and the rest of the new world is following their lead. Even the old world giants like France and Italy are tweaking their recipes to take advantage of the American demand.
      Historically, the old world wine industry of Europe has struggled to grow ripe grapes consistently. Wines from less sunny regions are higher in acidity, more astringent, and less fruity. While these wines lack ripe, fruity profiles, they offer the more subtle flavors of terroir. Terroir is the flavor of the soil, sky, weather, and sun baked earth. Similar to acidity, terroir is diminished as grapes ripen.
      The old world uses oak barrels as storage. Aging in neutral oak will also boost a wines longevity. Old world wines are often aged in old neutral oak barrels that leave no noticeable flavor behind.
      It has only been in the last few decades that our palates have wanted the flavor of a new oak barrel in every sip. New world styled red wines are aged in new French or new American oak barrels as a default recipe. New oak imparts flavors of clove, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, and caramel to the wine. White wines can also be aged in new French oak and can show a distinct nutmeg, marshmallow, and allspice flavor as well.
      The Southern Hemisphere and our West Coast make up the new world. However, many people consider Spain a new world producer because of their affinity for new oak barrels and luscious fruit packed wines. California, Washington, Oregon, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Spain keep the French cooperage industry working overtime.
      New world producers share a few important characteristics other than their affinity for oak. Their sunny climates grow very ripe grapes, with ample sugar, a prerequisite for fruity wines. These ripe grapes are less acidic than their European peers. The sun also creates softer tannins, a complement to the fruity profiles. High alcohol levels are another consequence of extremely ripe grapes; new world wines are often above 14% alcohol, while old world wines are less.
      More winemakers are taking from both philosophies. They utilize the ripest fruit possible in a new world fashion. They also preserve the acidity, tannins, and terroir in an old world style. The technique of harvesting in several sweeps is becoming a common practice to create a balance between acidity and ripe fruit flavors. Producers will harvest some of the grapes to capture their acidity and flavors of terroir, while allowing other clusters longer hang time to develop their rich fruit flavors.
      The intersection of these styles is a welcome progression. As the definition of new world wine evolves, it takes from the practices from thousands of years of winemaking. Contemporary producers learn from deep-rooted practices, and traditionalists are being offered a fresh approach.