A 12 bottle Old World to New World exploration for just $99 plus free shipping. (That's just $8.33 a bottle shipped!) Exclusively for Reverse Wine Snob readers.
Another day, another deal for our readers! And this is one you can even justify as an educational experience. Available for just 5 days, you don't want to miss it.
If you've been in the wine world for very long, you've likely heard the words "Old World" and "New World" thrown around. And while you can always read about the differences between those terms, there's nothing like actually experiencing them. And that's exactly what we have lined up for you today.
Reverse Wine Snob Old World vs New World Exploration
12 bottles for just $99 and free shipping! Choose your case: All-Red, All-White or Mixed. (All-Red and All-White packages will receive two bottles of each wine; Mixed gets one of each.) Ships to every state except AK, AR, HI, KY, MS and UT! Sale ends Friday 11/15 at midnight.
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The red selections begin with our favorite variety of wine, Syrah. For the Old World example, we, of course, turn to France. For the New World, South Africa.
It only seems fitting that the Old World example in this pairing, the 2012 Labeye Syrah, has a bit of age on it. More structured and earthy than it's New World counterpart (the Radford Dale Syrah), the Labeye is a delicious, dry example of the variety that would pair quite well with a steak. The savory Radford Dale, on the other hand, with its smoky meaty aromas on the nose shows a bit brighter fruit plus licorice and anise. Both wines are a great way to start this case.
You can't have an Old World versus New World comparison without two Bordeaux blends and our case includes a couple of beauties!
The balanced, dark and smooth Chateau les Tuileries Bordeaux, a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon is compared here to the eminently drinkable Inti Cabernet/Carmenere blend from Chile. Both wines are excellent with the New World variation again showing a bit brighter fruit. I also very much appreciated that the Inti did not show any green notes, which tends to be pretty common with Cab and Carmenere from Chile.
And finally, the red selections end with two Cabernet, one from Spain and the other from Argentina.
The Bella Sol Cabernet from Spain is a soft and smooth Cab full of dark fruit. Tasty and easy to drink, this offers a lot of value at this low price. Neither wine has much, if any, oak influence which really let's the differences in the grape shine through. Even so, the Laymount Cabernet from Argentina is the brighter and riper of the two. With lots of fruit and spice, this sure is easy to drink. Both bottles will be gone in no time.
If you choose all red wines in your case, you'll receive two bottles of each of the aforementioned wines. Choosing a mixed case (or all whites) adds in the following Old World/New World pairings.
First up, we turn to an underappreciated grape variety - Viognier.
Our pairing begins with the Labeye Viognier from France. Wonderful tasty and with a great aroma, this is much more complex than I was expecting. For the New World equivalent we go to California and the Zaca Mesa Viognier. Fresh with lots of apple, peach, honey and touches of spice, this is high class Viognier! Also quite complex, both of these wines are just excellent examples of the variety.
Our next pairing might just show the Old World to New World differences the most clearly of all...
From the Old World we have the light, crisp and fresh Placer Andaluz Chardonnay from Spain showcasing the citrusy, un-oaked style. You couldn't ask for more of a contrast from the Camino del Toro Chardonnay from Argentina, which is in the buttery, creamy style and full of tropical fruit. Both are excellent wines in their own right, just very different in style.
Our last pairing of the case goes back to France and California to showcase two styles of white blends.
The Old World wine is the fresh, tasty and tart Les Beaux Galets, a blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard. This is a very refreshing wine, very Sauvignon Blanc like in taste. From the New World we have an absolutely fantastic Rhone-style blend in the Zaca Mesa Z Blanc. 68% Grenache Blanc, 27% Roussanne and 5% Viognier, this wine received 91 points from Wine Enthusiast and with good reason as this is fabulous, lip-smacking stuff!
And there you have it. We've always maintained that the best way to learn about wine is through drinking it and with today's special offer you can do just that. Get it while you can!
