The terms “Old World” and “New World,” as they pertain to wine, get tossed around like croutons on a salad, and many times can be a bit confusing.
Old World wines are those emanating from Europe. These wines have a history that predates wine regions such as those of the Pacific Northwest by more 1,000 years before the “discovery” of the Americas and migration of Europeans.
That’s always a sobering reality for me, and comes in handy for an occasional wine realignment. New World wines are obviously those not of European origin, and can be from North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
Confusion can sometimes occur when we introduce hyphens and the word “style” or the phenomenally popular word “like” (which, like, by the way, can, like, be like the only word we often use to, like, communicate).
Old World style often refers to New World wines wishing to mimic the tradition of a particular region, such as Oregon and its “Burgundian style” pinot noir. Or, as had been occurring lately, many Old World wines from countries such as France, Italy or Spain, are being made in a “New-Worldlike” manner and are causing a homogenization of the wine world. To this entire Ping-Ponging of euphemisms I can only say one thing — cool!
I recently visited a New World wine tasting room where the wines are all blended in the tradition of the Old World, and I experienced wines that were, like, out of this world.
At the front steps of the much publicized and anxiously anticipated Woodinville Village is the home of the Brian Carter Cellars tasting room, where the old and new worlds of wine come together in perfect harmony.
Brian Carter is best known for his work at Washington Hills Winery and Apex Winery, where he honed his skills as a hands-on, artisan winemaker and developed a passion for the terroir of Washington. Carter has since gone on to be one of the industry leaders in the state for European-style blended wines and has produced, in my opinion, some of the best expressions of these wines that have one foot in the old world and one foot in the new.
He currently offers five artistically crafted wines: Oriana, a unique white wine blend of three aromatic varieties; Tuttorosso, a sangiovese-based Super-Tuscan blend; Byzance, a Southern Rhone style blend of grenache and syrah; L’Etalon, a robust blend of five classic Bordeaux varietals; Solesce, a silky signature Bordeaux-style blend; and a fun and irreverent “mystery blend” called Abracadabra.
These wines quite simply rock any world and are worthy of acquisition. Here’s an “Old World” cork dork’s interpretation of these fabulous New World wines (parenthetical “translations” are the winemaker’s):
Oriana: (Latin — Golden Lady) white wine blend, $24
Oriana is a seductive white wine blend of roussane, riesling and viognier, all from the Outlook Vineyard on the south-facing slopes on the northern edge of the Yakima Valley. This wine is richly aromatic and opulent with gobs of honeysuckle, apple blossoms and tangerines that spring from the glass and into your nose. This silky textured white wine coats your palate with ripe pear and tropical fruits and finishes with food friendly acidity.
Tuttorosso: (Italian — “all red”) Super-Tuscan blend, $30
This Tuttorosso super Tuscan-style blend pays tribute to the maverick winemakers who broke with tradition in Italy to create a new category of wines from Tuscany. A blend of 65 percent sangiovese, 23 percent cabernet sauvignon and 12 percent syrah, this wine delivers complex aromas and flavors of raspberries, chocolate and white truffles and has a zesty finish that lingers and begs for a big plate of spaghetti.
Byzance: (French — luxurious) southern Rhone-style blend, $30
This Byzance blend is beautifully crafted from 55 percent grenache, 24 percent syrah and 21 percent mourvedre (three of the most prominent grapes found in the southern Rhone Valley), almost all from the Outlook vineyard high on the Rosa slope in the central Yakima Valley. Almost black in color, the wine has aromas of blackberries, truffles and spice. Seductively balanced, the wine has well-integrated tannins, and dark fruit and spice linger on the palate. This wine is one of the closest things to a true Chateauneuf-du-Pape that I’ve had from Washington wineries.
L’Etalon: (French —The Stallion) Bordeaux-style blend, $30
This Bordeaux-style blend was crafted using 52 percent cabernet sauvignon, 21 percent merlot, 10 percent cabernet franc, 5 percent malbec and 12 percent petit verdot. Selected vineyards include Outlook, Klipsun, Solstice and Snipes Canyon, all in Washington’s oldest appellation, the Yakima Valley. Dark in color, the wine’s aroma is full of blackberries, cassis and cedar. Mouth-filling flavors show soft, well-integrated tannins and a long finish.
Solesce: (Latin — sun and essence) Bordeaux-style blend, $58
This is Carter’s flagship wine, firm and focused, crafted from merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and malbec. The wine is packed with complex aromas of blackberry, leather, toasted cedar and cassis and flavors of spicy black cherry, licorice and dark chocolate with a long finish both silky and worthy of extended cellaring. The wine has already seen three years in the bottle and will continue to improve for another decade.
Spoil yourself with one of these Brian Carter wines, and when you do raise your glass to the Old World and to the New.
These wines are available through Vehrs Distributing (ask at your local wine shop, and are also available direct through the tasting room in Woodinville.
Jeff Wicklund can be reached at 425-737-2600, 360-756-0422 or wick@purplesmilewines.com.
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