History of Wine - Wines of the World
There is no absolute standard for classifying the different types of wines that exist. An institution, such as Le Cordon Bleu, is based on the Old World convention of designating wine regions (Europe and Asia Minor, when talking about wines) to name them.
According to this classification system, it is considered that the climate and soil of the grape growing area are those that most influence the character of the wine. Several countries have legislated on designations of origin (D.O. in Spain, A.O.C. in France, DOCG in Italy, QmP in Germany, D.O.C. in Portugal) to guarantee the production of wines from grapes from a specific quality area. In the D.O. system, the importance of the grape variety is lower.
In the New World, winemakers classify their wine products according to the type of grape used, rather than by the region in which they were produced. Consequently, “New World” refers to everything that excludes the “Old World”, which includes America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The New World, being less limited by the European wine tradition, has chosen to market its wine products as varietals.
A varietal wine is one made from a single type of grape or from a blend in which the dominant grape variety is one of the grape varieties native to Italy (between 75% and 90%, depending on the country). As for varieties, Italy is the country with the highest number of native varieties.
Although the plum Claudia, Queen Claudia of France, did not arouse special interest in the orchard of Claudia la Reina, the plum variety she consumed is still prestigious. Because of this variety, today it is cultivated in many places. In Claudia’s orchard, the variety of fruit she consumed did not arouse special interest. However, this variety of fruit is cultivated today in many places, due to its quality.
There are better and worse vineyards, just as there are better and worse orchards of apples, pears and peaches, as well as plums. To be interested in the place where a vineyard is going to be planted, you must first choose a vineyard.
According to this view of things, there are as many varieties of wines as there are vineyards. Champagne, like Cabernet Sauvignon, is produced in Bordeaux; Chardonnay, like Chardonnay, is produced in Champagne. The ius sanguinis dominates here, to put it mildly, while the ius solis is less significant. French wine labels do not mention the vineyard, except in Alsace, where it is forbidden to mention the vineyard in wines with a denomination of origin.
The reason why the concept of imposing this form of perception has signs of a trade war is that, according to the theory that you can get more out of traditional French or European vineyards by planting them in other, more suitable regions, it is supposed that you can get more out of these vineyards by categorizing them as vineyards.
However, the cataloguing of wines lends itself to a better classification of them. If they tell us that a wine is Rioja, we don’t know if it’s white or red or what. If they tell us it’s Tempranillo, we know much more.
Germany, Spain and other regions are highly represented in wine bottles, and the vineyard is a significant element. In addition to regional comparisons, it allows for broader comparisons. However, it has its limits. Vines are varieties of Vitis vinifera -biologists call them varieties of Vitis vinifera- cultivated in vine forms, which depend on local customs, meteorology and soils.
The variety is mutable and can change its name at will. The Clinton grape variety, which is cultivated in the United States, already has a name. Its planting is prohibited in the European Union by Community legislation. You can, but embodying a grapevine and germinating on European soil is not allowed.
In addition to the vineyard and the place where it grew, a third important reference is the commercial house that sells them. Almost always, the prestige of certain wineries – in the sense of the commercial house that offers them for sale – is decisive.