The Wine 101 Guide to Old World Wines | iShopChangi

What's Old World?

For thousands of years, Old World wine regions refer to the birthplaces of wine. That often includes France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. Since recorded history, we have been drinking wine produced from these regions. In recent years, countries like Italy for instance, began making rich, fruity wines reminiscent of New World wines.

But let’s come back to that in our next issue, shall we?

For now, there is one word worth knowing about Old World winemaking. That is Terroir. Pronounced as “tare WAHr”, this French word fully describes how a particular region’s climate, mineral levels, elevation, and terrain affect the taste of wine.

Terroir is key to Old World wines as it has to do with the land that the grapes were grown on.

Call Me By My Name, Not My Ingredients

While you are sipping, there’s something you might have realised but were never made aware. That is, how do different French wineries manage to produce wines that are all called Bordeaux or Burgundy? There is a simple explanation!

Old World wines carry the region’s name. These wines take after the famous wine-producing regions where they come from - Bordeaux, Rioja, and Chianti. Hence, a wine made with Chardonnay grapes from Chablis, France, will be named “Chablis”.

A Taste of Yesteryear

Old World wine regions are where Old World wines originated. These wines are crafted regionally over centuries before expanding globally. Adhering to more traditional winemaking techniques and regulated by stricter production rules, it explains their iconic and style quality. Even today, the current winemakers of those regions still hold on to those standards.

In a way, isn’t that a romantic notion? To appreciate that the wine we sip today has been made the same way for centuries! Over the years, though the lines between the Old World and New World may be blurred as both adopted best practices from one another. It is safe to say that when one prefers Old World wines, it simply could be about the heritage that one is enjoying.

In a nutshell (or bottle)…

Old World wines generally share distinguishable characteristics such as a softer, more elegant taste. As the Old World wine regions’ temperatures are cooler than the New World wine regions, they tend to be lighter-bodied, have lower alcohol, a higher acidity, and less fruity flavour with more minerality even though it may not always be the case.

In contrast, New World wine tends to have a fuller body, high alcohol, lower acidity with pronounced fruit flavours. However, as mentioned, the lines are getting blurred. Italy is considered one of the Old Worlds, but some of its hot spots are currently producing rich, fruity wines as well.

Ready for more? Let's explore Old World Wine Specialites by Regions!