Saturday, November 16th
4:30 - 7:00
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!
Champagne Delamotte Brut
Le Mesnil sur Oger, France, NV
Iron Horse Vineyards 'Ocean Reserve' Blanc de Blancs
Green Valley of Russian River Valley, California, 2015
Domaine Matrot Bourgogne Blanc
Burgundy, France, 2017
Ancien Wines Chardonnay
Carneros, California, 2015
Château Jacquet 'Cuvée Prestige' Rouge
Bordeaux, France, 2015
Tradition Red Wine
Napa Valley, France, 2017