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In Reply to: To Jazz1 - New World Wines - a Generalization posted by Grover on March 25, 2005 at 17:03:17:
You are right I did intend it to be a new subject.
Your answer is spot on, the other aspect of most new world wines is that they are generally grown in hotter climate. (Than France)
In Bordeaux and the Rhone region the sun is definetely softer
grappes mature slowly but properly (In a good vintage)
I do not know too much about Californian wine growing, but both Australian and South African wine making are showing a new trend which I do not agree at all with. They tend to pick the grappes later to get more fruit but unfortunately this also translate to higher alcohol.
Many wines these days have 14% or even 15% alcohol.
They are very forward, rich and fruity but again with little complexity.
Living in South Africa I have seen enormous progress during the last 15 years or so, but although the standard is quite high and they do make good wines. I never tasted a great wine, a classic.
(Thelema cam close on a few occasions)
I also found that in general wine from the new world tend to age, rather than mature. I went through a phase collecting wines but now
I have given up on keeping Australian, Californian, or South African wines, I drink them young, when they are nice.
I still buy good French wines for keeping (in small quantities) and
for special occasions. Like you I love the Rhone wines.
Especially the Cote Rotie such as La Mouline from Guigal,
even a good vintage of Brune et Blonde blows me away, plenty good
wines from Chapoutier and Jaboulet.
While in Belgium last month I went to a tasting from wines from the Languedoc and I must say, I was impressed.
An analogy with audio, wines from the new world are like hi-fi, great wines from France are like the real thing.
Cheers
jazz1
Follow Ups:
I had a friend in town perhaps 12 years ago who owned a small liquor store. In addition to the inexpensive beer he kept for the college kids, he had a pretty good sandwich deli and a very nice selection of wines. He introduced me to South African wines as he was a big fan, and always kept four or five various ones on hand. That was extremely rare and very special - that a small town California liquor store would have a selection of South African wines 12 to 15 years ago.I definitely developed a fondness for Pinotage, and I find that this varietal is getting increasingly ignored by South African wine producers - at least for export into California. Do you find that Pinotage is less produced now than in the past?
Agree with you on the aging potential of Australian and California wines. They were meant to drink young. In my experience, the whites and Pinot Noirs within four years of vintage is the best. California Cabernet Sauvignons can last much longer, especially ones out of Napa. Our area (Paso Robles) makes some wondeful Cabernet Sauvignons. But I find that they drink really well four to six years after vintage, and decline after that.
Well heck. Next time you're in the area feel free to stop by. I'll crack open a couple good bottles. :-)
For those of you that don't know, pinotage is the result of grafting pinot noir and hermitage vines.
Pinotage is still popular especially amongst the boutique wineries
where they are trying to make something good and different.
I believe that pinotage has been produced in New Zealand.
The use of American oak is popular amongst pinotage producers.
Some very good pinotages have been made but again I do not think that a great wine will ever be born out of pinotage.
When visiting Boston last year I noticed that Beyerskloof Pinotage was available in a few stores, it is a relatively inexpansive wine
around 10$ but very representative of what pinotage is all about.
It is made by Beyers Truter the famous wine maker from Kanonkop
which are the people that put South African pinotage on the world map.
Beyers Truter was voted as Wine maker of the year (94) for the Kanonkop Bordeaux blend "Paul Sauer" by winning the Comtesse Pichon Lalande trophy. "Best wine in the world" (I don't agree)
Beyers is a great character.
Get yourself a bottle of Beyerskloof pinotage, different, drinkable and interesting
jazz1
yes, a small number of very nice pinotages from New Zealand -- Babich and Te Awa come to mind.
Isn't that Pinot Noir and Cinsaut?
Cinsault was originally known as "Hermitage" in South Africa (although French Hermitage has none in its blend). When a South African professor crossed the grape with Pinot Noir, he therefore named it Pinotage
Serge
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