Most of the vineyards in
the New World are in hotter climates than their European homeland;
consequently, with more dependable sunshine, the grapes are riper, resulting in
wines which have a higher alcohol level and which are more full-bodied and
fruitier. It has been argued, not without a certain level of Eurocentric
snobbery as well as a certain level of truth, that New World wines reflect
their culture—being more “loud” and “brash” than their more subtle and discreet
European counterparts. In some ways, this has been exacerbated by Robert
Parker, the American wine critic who has encouraged more full-bodied and
fruit-forward wines in the New World.
Fruit Bombs: As discussed elsewhere, I have mixed
feelings concerning Robert Parker. Initially, many Californian winemakers were
striving to reproduce French wines and to recreate the same tastes. It was
Parker who told them to be true to their terroir and to make wines which
reflected the local conditions. “If you want to make French wines,” he said,
“go to France.” This is most clearly shown in the difference between Chardonnay
wines from Burgundy and California. The Californian Chardonnays are much more
oaky, alcoholic, fruitier, and full-bodied. The Burgundies are far more subtle and
lighter-bodied, exhibiting more herb, earth, mineral, and floral components.
Parker is correct in encouraging the Californians to be themselves and not
slavishly copy the French; it is just that his opinion is so influential that
the pendulum has now swung the other way, and all Chardonnays are becoming the
“hedonistic fruit bombs” that Parker so enjoys. The average alcohol content for
European reds is about 12.5 percent while in the New World, 14 percent is more
common.
Many Europeans argue that New World fruit-bombs overwhelm
food, and that the lack of acidity and tannins fails to cleanse the palette
while eating. However, while Europeans have always associated wine with food, a
2011 survey by Wine Opinions (www.wineopinions.com), found that most of the
wine consumed by Americans is not drunk as part of a meal but rather alone as a
cocktail, before or after a meal. So the harmonious balance of acid, tannins,
and fruit, which pairs so well with food, is less important when the wines are
to be enjoyed by themselves and the soft-rounded pleasures of the fruit can
stand alone.
Annual variations and vintages: One of the big
differences between annual vintages in Europe is rainfall. Lack of rain or too
much rain, or rain falling at the wrong time, can destroy a whole year’s crop.
This is why the quality of the wine from major European regions varies from
year to year, and why the vintage of a European wine is of such importance.
This is much less of a problem in the New World, where seasons are much more
predictable and consistent. Much of Europe’s wine country is in the
Mediterranean climate zone, with unpredictable rainfall and climate
fluctuations. Much of California, however, like Australia and Chile, is desert.
As early as 1962, Professor Albert J. Winkler at UC Berkeley had analyzed the
temperature and climate of California’s grape-producing regions, and divided
them into what are still referred to as the five Winkler Zones. Within those
five zones, the annual rainfall and temperatures are fairly consistent, and
thus predictable, by the winegrower. Rain does not usually fall during the
growing season, and so water is provided, through irrigation, by the farmers.
This means that the farmer has much more control over the growth and
development of the vine, and it also means that his wines can be consistent
from year to year. The only potential downside to this is drought. As this book
is being written, California is introducing drastic laws to restrict car
washing and lawn watering in order to adjust to the fourth year of severe
drought; but so far, in mid 2017, Californian winegrowers have not yet been
affected.
Varietals: With over two thousand years of
experimentation and experience, Europeans had learned which grape varietals
grew best in which region, and thus the concept of terroir and regional styles
developed, most especially in France. Consumers were aware of the difference
between Burgundy and Bordeaux, for example, or Champagne and Chablis. New World
winegrowers, however, had to learn by trial and error, and so would plant a
wide variety of different vines in the same geographic area. There was no
concept of terroir, and the difference between a Napa and Sonoma red wine was a
meaningless concept. Nobody had heard of either place; there was no tradition
or reputation behind either name. Winegrowers, therefore, referred back to the
French classics, and would label their red wines “Burgundy” and their white
wines “Chablis,” for example. Initially, most New World wines were simply
imitations of Old World wines, and so in addition to Californian Burgundy and
Chablis, there was Australian Sherry and South African Port.
The formation of the European Union in the 1970s gave
increased legal power to European winemakers who objected to the indiscriminate
use of regional names like Champagne and Burgundy. At the same time, wine
writers like Frank Schoonmaker and winemakers like Robert Mondavi encouraged
the Alsace tradition of classifying and labeling the wines by their constituent
grape. Consequently, for the past forty years, all New World wines have been
identified by their grape varietal rather than their terroir. Today, even some
French wines are identifying the varietal on the label in order to compete in
the US market.
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