Wine styles & varieties

Redwinger's thread about "well made wines" has me thinking about wines in general. I love red Bordeaux and some Cal Cabs, and don't have them as often as I'd like. With that exception, my preference is for Northern European grape varieties. I like Chianti with certain Italian foods - it just goes so well. But I've never had a "WOW - this is really, really good stuff" experience with Shiraz/Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, Suavignon Blanc, Semillion, etc. I have had this experience with Champagne, red and white Burgundies (PN and Chard), Beaujolais (Gamay), Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. I believe there is a greater dividing line between Northern and Southern European wines (and grapes) than the New World vs Old World discussion. Just my thoughts.

You have to admit that “New World” wine making techniques are “re-defining” “Old World” wines. As far as Old World wines mating with regional foods, it must be remembered that the region’s cuisine evolved with the region’s wines.
I grew up on a Sicilian wine called Segesta; my father drank it for years. It went very well with my mother’s southern Italian style of cooking. It was imported into the US through Banfi who probably bought it in bulk mainly from the Rallo Family of Marsala. It was first sold in gallon jugs. Then later on in 3L jugs, the only description on the bottle was red table wine of Sicily, made from Marsala red grapes, Calabrese. After being written up in the NY Times, the wine moved on to magnums (1.5L bottles) By 1994 it seemed as if the wine just dropped off the face of the earth, and later on that year, beginning of 1995 we began making our own wine.

Salute

Redwinger's thread about "well made wines" has me thinking about wines in general. I love red Bordeaux and some Cal Cabs, and don't have them as often as I'd like. With that exception, my preference is for Northern European grape varieties. I like Chianti with certain Italian foods - it just goes so well. But I've never had a "WOW - this is really, really good stuff" experience with Shiraz/Syrah, Merlot, Grenache, Suavignon Blanc, Semillion, etc. I have had this experience with Champagne, red and white Burgundies (PN and Chard), Beaujolais (Gamay), Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. I believe there is a greater dividing line between Northern and Southern European wines (and grapes) than the New World vs Old World discussion. Just my thoughts.

Howie, one of the things I discovered when researching for my last book was that in the Middle Ages, the nobility gravitated toward northern European wines, saying that the wines were far more elegant than Mediterranean wines.

In my opinion, it has to do with northern climates and acidity/pH. In warmer climates, the fruit can be near limp (or raisin) when harvested: big wines, lack of finesse.

During must of the Middle Ages southern wines were harder to get. Doesn’t necessarily mean they were less “prized”.

Salute

During must of the Middle Ages southern wines were harder to get. Doesn’t necessarily mean they were less “prized”.

Salute

I did not say that they prized them--only that they gravitated toward them.
Whether or not they were forced to drink them (and to plant many new propagations during the period) the nobility still wrote about the wines of the north as more elegant than their southern counterparts. Plus, it's no secret that the wines from the south were higher in concentration and alcohol than of the north.

Even ancient Falernian was said to be anywhere from 16 to 20 percent alcohol--that says something about density. It may also say something either about the notion of indigenous yeast being unable to withstand 15%-plus alcohol or of a practice of adding spirits to wine.

believe there is a greater dividing line between Northern and Southern European wines (and grapes) than the New World vs Old World discussion. Just my thoughts.

I'm not sure about that. Even Southern French gsm often has more minerality than New World gamay, pinot noir, or cabernet franc. In fact, even though I'm a solid Northern European wine fan, I'd rather drink Southern Rhone wines than CA pinot noir. But, there could be some overgeneralization about "new world" here.

Also, I was intrigued to see that you classified sauvignon blanc as Southern European when it has its best/most classic expression in the Loire IMHO.

Also, I was intrigued to see that you classified sauvignon blanc as Southern European when it has its best/most classic expression in the Loire IMHO.

Saumur, if you want my opinion... good value SB.

But yes, I agree that the generalizations are wide in this conversation. In your case, Rahsaan, you are judging New World by West Coast and perhaps Down Under, but there is another New World on the East Coast and in Canada, where that minerality of which you speak is quite available in sufficient palate-cleansing volumes.