Wines of the (New) World
Hard to imagine that we can put everybody but Europe into the same bag uh?.. And when you know that some of these countries have been at it for over 5 centuries, it doesn't feel that new, does it? From the stretched vineyards of central Chile to the never-ending landscape of South Australia, from the high elevations of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza to the stormy coast of South Africa, this World is in constant evolution, with China now part of the 10 biggest wine producing countries in the World.
Click on the links below to download the full guides (PDF).
Max
Certified Sommelier
Full Guides on the NEw World
So, what do they have in common? The ability to produce fantastic wines (and poor quality ones too...), quite often at a very good value, and the will to break the codes and come up with a new approach of wine. If their wines share some similarities overall, in opposition to ours in the Old World, it's probably the ripeness of the tannins, the juiciness of the fruit & the punchy aromatics. Quite often, the attention is on the opening more than the finish, with powerful (sometimes explosive) fruitiness. There might be less minerality, less spiciness at times, but if you just want to relax with a beautiful glass of wine, with or without a big meal, the New World was born to deliver!
And before we go any further, remember that apart from Europe, you are covering the entire planet with generic terms, which is a bit of a nonsense. California ain't Australia, New Zealand ain't South Africa and even as "neighbours" on the map, Chile ain't Argentina! So, in order to get our heads around the amazing specificities of these wine regions, we'll look at them individually in here.
I will post full guides on wine regions here as I go, once again, it is a slow process and I will try to tackle it on my own, so please excuse the delays in uploading them. If you feel that I forgot something or should explore other areas a bit more, feel free to contact me here. Have fun!
Circular Maps
Instant
Wine is more than just a drink, it is the liquid representation of the place where it came from. If you want to fully understand wine, you have to start with geography. If you find a map boring and hard to read, but wish to remember where is which valley or village, the following circular maps might help you!
A circular map of the valleys & appellations of Chile