Region

Introduction

Dusty bottles? Intricate vocabulary? Elitist knowledge? etc wine shops hands you your passport to simple wine knowledge for you to fully enjoy wine tasting. Discover key facts about grape varieties coupled to the special winemaking regions that make your favorite wine unique. You will quickly realize that wine is not complex, it is just the perfect combination between grapes, soil and man.

Before uncorking your bottle, here is where you can quench your thirst for knowledge!

new & old

The Old World
In wine terms this is broadly defined as Europe and the rest of the Mediterranean countries, including those of the Middle East and North Africa. Traditionally the Old World has put a strong emphasis on the importance of place and the concept of terroir. This can be clearly seen in the importance of wine laws such as the Appellation Controlee System.

Terroir is often mistaken as just soil. It is in fact the subtle combination of grapes, the soil they grow in, the particular climate of a land and the work of the men in both vineyard and cellar.

The New World

The New World wine countries can be defined most simply by the fact that they are outside the Old World, and include Australia, the US, South Africa or New Zealand for example. Compared with Old World countries there is a greater emphasis on grape variety over place and on technology over tradition. Varietal character is more likely to be expressed and due to the fact that most New World winemaking regions are warmer than their Old World counterparts there is a tendency for alcohol levels to be higher.

While there was once a clear distinction between the Old and New World styles, this is less true today, for a number of reasons. New World winemakers are increasingly emphasising their regional origins and the importance of vineyard site. The current generation of winemakers are more likely than their predecessors to have experience working outside their country of origin and the Old World is increasingly tending to adopt new technology while the New World has borrowed practices from the Old World.

major producing countries

Select a country:

  • USA
  • Germany
  • france
  • Spain
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • South Africa
  • Australia
  • New Zealand

Introduction

Dusty bottles? Intricate vocabulary? Elitist knowledge? etc wine shops hands you your passport to simple wine knowledge for you to fully enjoy wine tasting. Discover key facts about grape varieties coupled to the special winemaking regions that make your favorite wine unique. You will quickly realize that wine is not complex, it is just the perfect combination between grapes, soil and man.

Before uncorking your bottle, here is where you can quench your thirst for knowledge!

new & old

The Old World
In wine terms this is broadly defined as Europe and the rest of the Mediterranean countries, including those of the Middle East and North Africa. Traditionally the Old World has put a strong emphasis on the importance of place and the concept of terroir. This can be clearly seen in the importance of wine laws such as the Appellation Controlee System.

Terroir is often mistaken as just soil. It is in fact the subtle combination of grapes, the soil they grow in, the particular climate of a land and the work of the men in both vineyard and cellar.

The New World

The New World wine countries can be defined most simply by the fact that they are outside the Old World, and include Australia, the US, South Africa or New Zealand for example. Compared with Old World countries there is a greater emphasis on grape variety over place and on technology over tradition. Varietal character is more likely to be expressed and due to the fact that most New World winemaking regions are warmer than their Old World counterparts there is a tendency for alcohol levels to be higher.

While there was once a clear distinction between the Old and New World styles, this is less true today, for a number of reasons. New World winemakers are increasingly emphasising their regional origins and the importance of vineyard site. The current generation of winemakers are more likely than their predecessors to have experience working outside their country of origin and the Old World is increasingly tending to adopt new technology while the New World has borrowed practices from the Old World.

major producing countries

Select a country:

  • USA
  • Germany
  • france
  • Spain
  • Hungary
  • Italy
  • South Africa
  • Australia
  • New Zealand