OLD world wines, new world wines: it seems almost impossible for oenophiles to get together without the distinction being made with a preference for one or the other.
For New World advocates, the wines produced by the US, Australia, Argentina and Chile are tastier, fuller-bodied, and crucially easier to drink on their own than their Old World counterparts. Although they may not admit to it, New World wine enthusiasts also feel they are better value for money and more easily identifiable, being often labelled by name (often brand-name) rather than hard-to-pronounce French or (worse) German vineyard and region.
Many of these attributes are anathema to those prefering wine from the Old World. For them, the nuanced subtleties of a fine burgundy or bordeaux – refined and carefully elaborated over successive vintages - will always be preferable to the obvious meatiness of an Argentinan Malbec or Californian zinfandel (indeed, some traditionalists deplore the very notion of a single varietal wine). They will always regard the distinctiveness of old world wine, the “terroir” or sense of place and history, as factors that will always make them superior. They believe it is this that makes it possible, say, for two wines made from the same grape but grown in adjacent vineyards to have completely distinct characteristics. For such oenophiles, place really and truly matters. Which brings us to the purpose of this website. Growing interest in wine and the growth of the Internet have – unsurprisingly - led to a huge growth in sites devoted to the complex but always fascinating world of wine. Many of these are very good, providing useful and well-written information about wine-regions, new vintages and off the shelf bargains. Many are also overly self-absorbed and to us at least, seem self-serving. Rather than educate the user, they lose him or her in excessive detail or - worse - in excruciating blogs the minutae of the writer’s life. | 
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Oldandnewworld will seek to discuss trends in the evolution of the wine business through our regularly updated Off the Shelf section – which will highlight our favourite old and new world buys available in UK shops – and in our Tastings and Wine Journeys sections.
The key focus will be on lesser-known regions. In the New World, for example, expect to see reviews of wines from Brazil or Uruguay rather than Argentina or Chile, or from Virginia and New York State rather than California.
In the Old World, we will emphasise in particular wines from the Balkans – undergoing a renaissance after years of under-investment, with ambitious winemakers coaxing impressive results from such indigenous varieties like vranac and feteasca neagra. We will also concentrate on producing nations like Lebanon, Greece and Georgia (old world wine doesn’t get older than this, reputedly the country where wine-making was invented, many thousands of years BC).
Whenever possible, we will focus on indigenous grape varieties, often so much more interesting than when local producers try their hand at Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay. We will be honest in our descriptions and recommendations. We will also try to be as straightforward as possible, keeping what can often be overly verbose comments about the wine to a minimum. And finally - we always welcome feedback and comment.
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New Inside...
In Wine Journeys
Seductive South Africa
Awesome Alsace
Tremendous Toro
Cyprus
In Cellar Chat
Burgundy 2010 (Retail Round-Up)
Gorgeous Georgia
China Rising (Industry Round-Up)
View from Groot Constantia, February 2012
