When tasting or searching for interesting wines on the Internet, we often come across the term "New World". While it may seem at the moment that the new world is what awaits us after the coronavirus epidemic is overcome, in wine terminology it is something else. In the wine industry, the Old World refers to the traditional European countries with long-established wine industries, most often France, Italy and Spain. Winemaking in these countries is characterised by a huge tradition and a diverse range of winemakers, from the smallest to the largest enterprises. The Old World still sets the latest trends and is a benchmark in the global wine market.
By New World we mean the rest of the world, specifically the major wine-producing countries such as California, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The boom in wine production in these countries began later, during the 20th century, but it quickly caught up with the Old World, so that today California and Argentina are the 4th and 5th largest producers in the world respectively. Similarly, there has been a rapid improvement in quality and a focus on supplying top wines rather than quantity, so that today New World wines regularly appear among the best global wines.
New World winemaking is characterised by several interesting features. First of all, almost exclusively European varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, etc. are grown here, one exception being the South African variety Pinotage. Another interesting fact is that, due to the stability of the climate and the higher temperatures, the vintages here are more balanced than in Europe. Unlike European wineries, New World wine farms are also generally larger and fewer companies control most of the national production.
Moreover, South African wines are unique among New World countries in that they had no contact with the outside world until 1991 because of apartheid. This handicap was only erased at the beginning of this century, and today all lovers of fine New World wines can confidently turn to South African wines, which are fully comparable in quality to any global competition.