These wines should also not have preservatives called “sulfites” added to them, because, well, once again, this was not a thing in the ‘Old World’. Wine naturally contains a small amount of sulfites, however, these sulfites are often added to ‘New World’ wines as an additional preservative, and people can have sensitivities to these sulfites. In many cases, these sensitivities can be one of the main culprits behind the dreaded “wine headache”. In short, ‘Old World’ winemakers are purists, making wine in the traditional ‘Old World’ way of making wine, before we started adding preservatives, and using harsh chemicals on our crops, making them “organic” and free of preservatives simply because that’s how it’s always been done. Also as a result of this, the grapes grown using ‘Old World’ methods will be more rich in anti-aging antioxidants you hear so much about with red wine, as they have to be more resilient to natural elements, because they don’t have the protection of the herbicides and pesticides.
Finally, an ‘Old World’ wine will typically be lower in alcohol content as well.
All said and done, a great general rule of thumb if you want to drink the healthiest glass of wine without the headache (and yes, red wine, in moderation, is quite good for you and appears to provide real anti-aging benefits) is to go ‘Old World’.
How to Choose an ‘Old World’ Wine
If out at a restaurant, and they have a Sommelier, you can simply ask for ‘Old World’ recommendations as a starting off point, and then select something whose taste profile jumps out at you from there. When shopping for yourself, or if you’re having guests over, or personally selecting a wine at a restaurant, going regional for Italy, France, or the Bsque region (in between Spain and France) is a pretty good rule of thumb to ensure you are getting an ‘Old World’ wine. Some of our personal favorite styles are Tempranillo (Basque region of Spain), Bordeaux (French regional), and a Cote du Rhone (a coastal region of France). I’ve found Italian wines that are regional, and most likely ‘Old World’, are not named after a grape or region, but rather, the family vintner, so look for Italian wines named after the winemaking family itself.
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