Wine Styles of Old World Wines

What are the typical characteristics of Old World wine styles?  Compared to New World wines (i.e. wines that have New World wine styles), Old World wines tend to be less bold, less vibrant in color, more delicate, and more elegant.  They also tend to have higher acidity and better natural balance.  Old World wines also feature more of the characteristics of the grape varietals used and their Appellation or terroir.  In Old World wine styles, higher minerality is usual.  Wines of the Old World wine style, moreover, are typically made according to the traditional wine making guidelines of their region of origin.

Wine Styles of New World Wines

Wines that are considered to be New World wines are characterized by wine styles that are almost always bolder and more luscious than Old World wine styles.  They are often bursting with fruit aromas from the get go.  Typically, they also have higher alcohol content since, in the New World style of wine making, grapes are often left to ripen longer/ripen faster; this can be attributed to the warmer climate in New World wine regions.  New World wines, moreover, tend to have mid-to-light acidity levels.  The nose is also less delicate and sophisticated.

The Rule and the Exceptions that Prove the Rule

There are, of course, exceptions to this two-way classification system.  Some young Barolos and Barberas are known for their “boldness” and higher-than-typical alcohol content.  These are probably the exceptions that prove the rule, though.

Once again, remember the general rule for comparing New World and Old World wine styles.  Old World wines (i.e. wines exhibiting Old World wine styles) have lower alcohol content, are more delicate and are more terroir-driven than New World wines.  On the contrary, New World wines (i.e. wines exhibiting New World wine styles) are typically big, bold and fruity.  Furthermore, they have light to medium acidity and have higher alcohol content than Old World wines.

Cheers!

Champagne and sparkling wine are different.

Champagne is different from sparkling wines.  The difference between them may not seem very “significant,” but the difference – however slight – remains.  Remember that the term Champagne refers to an AOC (geographic region) of France.  This wine region undoubtedly produces the world’s best sparkling wines.

So what exactly is champagne, the wine?  Only sparkling wines that have come from the Champagne AOC, been made through the traditional sparkling wine production method (méthode champenoise) and been produced following the strict guidelines of the Champagne AOC can be called champagne.

Champagne is a type of sparkling wine.

Champagne, therefore, is a specific type of sparkling wine.  Again, remember that champagne refers exclusively to sparkling wines that have come from Champagne and have been produced according to that AOC’s strict sparkling wine production method.  All other sparkling wines that do not fit the Champagne Appellation guidelines may simply be designated as non-champagne sparkling wines.

Champagne Making – Some Particulars

Champagne can only be made from six types of grapes.  The following are the most commonly used varietals or wine grapes in champagne production:

• Pinot Noir
• Pinot Meunier
• Chardonnay

The following varietals or wine grapes are also used in making champagnes, but they are used less often than the above-mentioned grapes:

• Pinot Blanc
• Petit Meslier
• Arbane

The wine grapes used for making champagnes must be handpicked.  They are also pressed as whole clusters; that is, they are not destemmed.  Champagnes must also rest a minimum of 15 months on lees for non-vintage crus and 36 months for vintage crus.  It is not uncommon for the best cuvee to rest for up to a decade.  Chaptalization is permitted, but this is mostly used when making non-vintage crus.

Trellising is also an important factor in the Champagne Appellation.  Four methods are authorized and they are Chablis, Cordon, Guyot, and Vallee de la Marne.  I will not elaborate on these methods as they are an entirely new subject.

Some of Champagne’s finest vintages are 2002, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1985, 1982, 1976, 1975, and 1971.

Non-Champagne Sparkling Wines

There are so many different styles of non-champagne sparkling wines.  Sparkling wines are produced in numerous wine-producing regions and from so many different varietals of grapes.  The sheer number of sparkling wine variants worldwide prevents me from talking about them further in this blog post.  Perhaps, non-champagne sparkling wines will be a future topic in this wine blog; who knows?  Cheers!

Rose wines are made of red grapes or red grape varietals.  Rose champagne or rose sparkling wines are exceptions because they are also made with white grapes or white grape varietals (I say varietals because Chardonnay is not the only white grape used to make sparkling wines).  There are some winemakers who add a little white wine to their own blend of still rose wine, but this is not common practice.

About Rose Wines

There’s a difference between old-world rose and new-world rose wines.  Old-world rose wines tend to be more bone-dry than new-world rose wines.  Californian rose wines, for instance, can be almost sweet; they also have very similar characteristics to white wines.  It should be noted, however, that there are now some Californian rose winemakers who make fruity, elegant and almost bone-dry rose wines that resemble old-world roses.  Sophia by Coppola is just such a wine.

Tip: You should drink still rose wines when they are young or are 1-3 years old.  Good rose champagnes with some age can be a real delight.

How Are Rose Wines Made?

There are several ways to make rose wines and you can find a lot of information about them online.  You should be aware, however, that the four most commonly used methods of rose winemaking are often explained erroneously in the internet.  The errors persist even in some of the top-ranked sites!

I love the internet, but I believe it has become as much of a misinformation highway as an information highway.  I wanted to set the record straight and give you the correct information about wines and wine making, so I started this wine education and wine review blog.  But that’s neither here nor there.  Let’s go back to the topic:  rose wine making.

The four approaches to making rose wines are bleeding, pressing, limited maceration, and run off.

• Saignée or bleeding is used to make the best quality roses.  Juice is obtained by stacking up the wine grapes in a tank and letting the grapes’ weight do the crushing.  Since the juice is in contact with the grape skins only for a very short time, the rose wine obtained through this technique has a very pale color – e.g. Gris de Bourgogne, a rose wine from the Loire Valley.  Rose wines made through bleeding are rich, fruity and have great freshness.

• Pressé or pressing is the technique of pressing the red grapes until the juice has the desired color.  Once the desired color has been attained, the winemaker stops pressing.  Only the pressed juice is used to make the rose wine.

• Limited maceration is the most commonly used technique for making rose wines.  The grapes or, to be more precise, the skins are left in contact with the juice until the winemaker decides that he is happy with its color.  The “wine” (or the juice) minus the skins is then transferred to another tank to finish the fermentation process.

• Run off is the process involved when the winemaker removes juice from the tank of fermenting red wine; this juice is used to make the rose wine.  The run off process results in a darker/more intense red wine (the wine left in the fermentation vat) and, in my opinion, a so-so rose wine.

On Provence Rose Wines

Provence rose wines are usually made using the same local blends used in making red wines.  Most rose wines from Provence are made using the Grenache and Cinsault grapes or varietals, but some have been made using Mourvèdre.

For the wine aroma hunters: The following are the typical aromas found in rose wines from the Provence region (Côtes de Provence, Côteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, les Baux-de Provence, Bandol, Cassis, Bellet, and Palette):

• grapefruit
• banana
• strawberry
• raspberry
• redcurrant
• almond
• linden
• cut hay

If you want to try a typical rose wine from Provence, I recommend Mas du Fadan Côte de Ventoux 2007.  Oh, and by the way, a great bottle of rose wine should not cost you more than $20-$25 unless it is rose champagne!

Cheers!