Old World vs New World Tasting
Saturday, May 5th
4:30 - 7:00
We revisit this theme about twice a year, as it has proven to be one of the more educational and enjoyable topics for a tasting. I am sure that most of you have used, or at least heard bandied about, terms such as 'Old World' or 'New World' when talking about wines. Many of you may have wondered 'what do these really mean'? The term 'New World' in wine is used quite literally to describe wines coming from newer wine producing countries, such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa or Argentina; essentially all wine producing countries outside of Europe. The rationale being that these New World countries only started producing wine in the fifteenth, sixteenth or seventeenth centuries, following European exploration or colonization. In contrast, wine has been made in Europe and along the Mediterranean for several millennia.
Figuratively the terms 'New World' and 'Old World' are widely used as descriptive terms to describe or infer a style of wine or wine making practices. Old World wines are traditionally more 'terroir' and structure driven. (Terroir is a French term for how a particular region's climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect the taste of wine; a wine of terroir is said to taste of where it is from.) Old World wine making philosophies emanated from a sense of place, and the primordial role ascribed to 'terroir' as well as 'mother-nature' in determining wine quality. In contrast, the New World philosophy generally placed less sanctity on the preeminence of 'terroir', and more on the preservation of varietal fruit character, believing that the appropriate harnessing of scientific and technological best practices in the vineyard and in the winery could iron out any 'terroir' imperfections. That is the theory, and while retaining certain truisms, today the dividing line is more blurred, as New World wine producers discover 'terroir' and Old World producers discover 'fruit', adopting many of the technological advances developed in the New World. Join us Saturday where we will sample six wines, with three Old World Examples, and three New World examples of the same grape or similar blends. Come see if you have a preference for one style or the other, or whether (like me) you think both can be delicious!
J. M. Boillot Montagny 1er Cru
Burgundy, France, 2016
&
Kokomo Chardonnay 'Peters Vineyard'
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, 2015
Alain Gras Saint-Romain
Burgundy, France, 2014
&
Pali Wine Co. 'Riviera' Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, California, 2016
Chateau Bel Air Gloria Haut-Medoc
Bordeuax, France, 2014
&
Hoopla Cabernet Sauvignon
California, 2014
Figuratively the terms 'New World' and 'Old World' are widely used as descriptive terms to describe or infer a style of wine or wine making practices. Old World wines are traditionally more 'terroir' and structure driven. (Terroir is a French term for how a particular region's climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect the taste of wine; a wine of terroir is said to taste of where it is from.) Old World wine making philosophies emanated from a sense of place, and the primordial role ascribed to 'terroir' as well as 'mother-nature' in determining wine quality. In contrast, the New World philosophy generally placed less sanctity on the preeminence of 'terroir', and more on the preservation of varietal fruit character, believing that the appropriate harnessing of scientific and technological best practices in the vineyard and in the winery could iron out any 'terroir' imperfections. That is the theory, and while retaining certain truisms, today the dividing line is more blurred, as New World wine producers discover 'terroir' and Old World producers discover 'fruit', adopting many of the technological advances developed in the New World. Join us Saturday where we will sample six wines, with three Old World Examples, and three New World examples of the same grape or similar blends. Come see if you have a preference for one style or the other, or whether (like me) you think both can be delicious!
J. M. Boillot Montagny 1er Cru
Burgundy, France, 2016
&
Kokomo Chardonnay 'Peters Vineyard'
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, 2015
Alain Gras Saint-Romain
Burgundy, France, 2014
&
Pali Wine Co. 'Riviera' Pinot Noir
Sonoma Coast, California, 2016
Chateau Bel Air Gloria Haut-Medoc
Bordeuax, France, 2014
&
Hoopla Cabernet Sauvignon
California, 2014
Piemontese Wines
Saturday, May 12th
4:30 - 7:00
We turn our focus this Saturday to some incredible wines from one of Italy's most renowned regions - Piemonte, or the Piedmont region. Nestled in a remote amphitheater created by the Alps, Piemonte is home to some of Italy's most revered wines - Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato and more. The wines of this area are some of our favorites for a wide variety of food pairings, with depth and complexity, but still enough fruit to drink on their own as well. While indicatively Italian, the serious and diligent winemakers of Piemonte and their wines find an enological soul mate in Burgundy even more so than other famed Italian regions such as Tuscany. While the most famous wines of the region are certainly Barolo and Barbaresco, based on the Nebbiolo grape, which often need significant time in the bottle to age, we will focus more on some of the more affordable and approachable wines produced from the region. These will be the wines the Piemontese themselves drink on a more daily basis, wines which help give patience to wait for their big siblings to come around. Our guide for this tasting tour will be Jennifer Salome, a proud Hope Valley Wine & Beverage Staff Alumnus! Jen just returned from a trip to Italy where she got to meet several of these winemakers, and will be ready to pass her enthusiasm of these wines onto you!
Sant'Evasio Collezione
Gavi di Gavi DOCG, 2016
Cordero di Montezemolo Arneis
Langhe DOC, 2016
Marziano Abbona 'Cinerino' Bianco
Langhe DOC, 2016
Marziano Abbona 'Papa Celso' Dolcetto
Dogliani DOCG, 2016
Cordero di Montezemolo Barbera
Barbera d'Alba DOC, 2016
Sant'Evasio Collezione
Gavi di Gavi DOCG, 2016
Cordero di Montezemolo Arneis
Langhe DOC, 2016
Marziano Abbona 'Cinerino' Bianco
Langhe DOC, 2016
Marziano Abbona 'Papa Celso' Dolcetto
Dogliani DOCG, 2016
Cordero di Montezemolo Barbera
Barbera d'Alba DOC, 2016