Old World Wines

Old World refers to wines that come from European countries such as France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Austria, Greece, Lebanon, Israel, Croatia, Georgia, Romania, Hungary and Switzerland, and from regions in North Africa and the Middle East.

The two most guiding influences of Old World style winemaking are that of tradition and terroir. The former refers to the long history of a wine region, while the latter refers to geography and the unique characteristics of a place. The centuries-old histories of many Old World wine regions have given the regions time to develop and adapt techniques that presumably best suit a particular vine growing area. Read this article from Wikipedia to learn more about Old World wines.

It is generally believed by many that characteristics of wines from the Old World tend to be lighter-bodied, more restrained and lower in alcohol. But the main thing all Old World wine countries have in common is that their wine making is heavily restricted with guidelines all wineries must follow. Each country and region of that country in the Old World has been making wine a certain way for centuries, and current winemakers are held to those old standards.

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Old World wines refer to wines produced in countries or regions that have a long history of wine production and a more established set of winemaking traditions, such as Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. These wines are often made from traditional grape varieties and use traditional winemaking techniques. The term “Old World” is used to distinguish these wines from “New World” wines, which are primarily produced in countries or regions that were not traditionally known for wine production, such as the United States, Australia, and Chile.

Old World wines are generally considered to have a more subtle, elegant and refined character, with a greater emphasis on terroir and tradition than New World wines. The vineyards in these regions are often older and the winemaking techniques have been passed down through generations.

Old World wines are often classified by their origin and are categorized by regions, such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and Tuscany. These wines are known for their strong sense of place and reflect the unique soils, climate and winemaking traditions of their region.

In Europe, the most famous wine-producing countries are France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany, which are considered the main origin of Old World wines. Each country has its own specific regions, grape varieties, winemaking traditions and style of wines.

Old World wines also have a system of classification, such as the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in France, Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) in Italy, Denominación de Origen (DO) in Spain and the Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP) in Germany, which are used to guarantee the origin and quality of the wines.