I've been wondering how long it will take for wine critics to turn full circle and start singing the praises of Old World wines. It seems to me that New World wines (from Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, California etc) have enjoyed an extended honeymoon period of praise from mainstream journalists and they continue to dominate the recommendations in wine columns every week.
As a wine lover I applaud the success of New World wines, but we should be careful not to overlook the fantastic wines from France, Spain and Italy. Indeed I believe that we in the UK should predominantly drink European wines. I'll start with the obvious environmental issue of shipping liquids half way around the world when we have a perfectly good supply of very fine wines on our doorstep. Admittedly the cheap stuff is shipped efficiently in bulk containers but the same argument applies - if you want cheap wine you don't need to drag it from the other side of the world.
However my main issue is balancing quality with value for money. I am not disputing that the New World can produce some excellent wines, but the ones that genuinely rival the best examples from France, Spain and Italy are now very expensive. For example many of the acclaimed wines coming out of Australia right now are from small producers who can't ship in bulk. This is part of the reason why they are expensive but the other major issue is exchange rates. Ten years ago you could get 3 Australian dollars to the pound whereas now you get 1.5. That alone has doubled the price. True fans are still happy to pay £20+ for quality Australian wines, but I'm afraid I'm out.
When I talk about "quality" wines I mean those that have elegance, individuality and a great expression of the grape variety. These are the qualities I look for in my wines and I believe they are easier to achieve in European climates. New World wine regions tend to have intensely hot summers that can result in an excess of alcohol and overblown flavours. In my experience too many New World wines lack sophistication so they are hard to match with food and a bit 'in your face' when sipped on their own. The best New World winemakers adapt their techniques to the conditions but there's a high price to pay for their efforts.
I must qualify my opinions by saying that after years of sampling wines I now prefer an understated style. Essentially I find it easier to live with wines that whisper their qualities rather than shout.
