It is not uncommon to hear a ­“knowledgeable” wine consumer make the blanket statement: “I don’t like New World wines.” Why would someone say ­something so strange and potentially pompous? If you hear this from someone, you should know that he or she is making a comment on the style of wine made in certain regions of the world.

New World wines are ones which come from relatively new ­winemaking regions, places like America, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, and ­Argentina. Wines from these regions all have a certain ­distinguishable style about them. They generally are bold expressions of the grape used to produce the wines—the flavors tend to attack the front part of the palate and seem more “fruit-forward” or “stronger” than ­other wines. Many times, wines from New World ­regions are higher in ­alcohol content than wines from other growing regions. ­Finally, New World wines tend to be produced by ­winemakers who use grapes and modern techniques to convey a personal style of winemaking.

Old World wines, as the term suggests, come from older, more ­established wine-growing ­regions like France, Italy, Spain, and ­Germany. Old World wines tend to express elements of the ­uniqueness of their soils and growing ­seasons—instead of the ­winemaker’s ­personal style of winemaking.

An example of this would be wines from the Burgundy region in France. Red Burgundy is made from only one grape, Pinot Noir. ­Winemakers from Burgundy don’t feel that they are making Pinot Noir wines. ­Rather, ­Pinot Noir is their vehicle for making wines that ­communicate what their grapes ­encountered during their ­growing ­cycle. It’s all about where the grapes come from, not the will a ­winemaker may impose upon them. Because of this, Old World wine labels don’t list the grapes on their wine labels. Instead, they list the regions where the grapes were grown.

In the New World vs. Old World debate, it’s is all about where the grape was grown—not what a winemaker has done with it after the harvest. The best part of the debate? In ­order to determine which side you’re on, you’re ­going to have to drink a lot of different wines from all over the world—not a bad thing!

Chianti captures everything Tuscan in a bottle. It is an invigorating ­experience and speaks of the harmony between Tuscany’s soil, sun, and people. It evokes images of rugged, rocky, sloping hillsides that are dotted with stone castles, spiraling Cypresses, golden wheat fields, and lush wine vineyards. Wines from Chianti embody dusty fruit flavors of rustic cherries combined with elegant minerality, fresh herbs, and warm acidity.

The Legend of the Black Rooster

If you look at a bottle of Chianti Classico, you will see the image of a black rooster, usually located on the neck of the bottle. Why is it there? Well, the legend of the black rooster goes back to a time when the cities of Florence and Siena had a land dispute. They fought over the area that is now the Chianti Classico zone. (Chianti Classico is where Chianti originated. It is one of eight Chianti zones and is located between ­Florence to its north and Siena to its south.) Both cities argued over their claim to the land that was located between them. The dispute waged on for years, and in the early 1200s, the leaders decided to settle the issue once and for all.

They called in an arbitrator who came up with a competition that would permanently settle the question. On a designated day, each city would send their best horseman toward the other city. Where the two horsemen met would decide the boundary of each city. The signal for the start of the race would be a cock’s first morning crow.

The leaders of Siena selected a fat, slovenly white rooster as its ­designated starting pistol. The people of Florence chose a black rooster which they did not feed before the race day. As a result, the Florentine rooster crowed much earlier than its Sienese counterpart. The legend says the black rooster crowed long before dawn because it was hungry, so the Florentine rider started much earlier than the Sienese rider. The rider from Siena only made it about 12 miles outside of Siena before he was met by the horseman from Florence and, therefore, Florence has much more land than Siena.

In 1384, the Chianti League established a black rooster silhouetted in front of a golden field as their emblem. Now, that rooster emblem can be seen on all Chianti bottles.

Right now, Texas wines are dominated by two well-known grape varietals: Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon.  These two grapes are the most planted grapes in the state.  Why do they dominate the vineyards in Texas?  Because people know what they are, and they sell.  When it comes down to it, wineries need to make money to exist, so to plant anything else would be a risky business proposition.  But this might not be the best thing for Texas wines because these two varietals typically fare better in cooler climates.

Texas’ geography and climate has been compared to places like Portugal and Spain. Vineyards in those countries use grapes such as Turiga Nacional, Garnacha (Grenache), Tinta Francisca, and Tempranillo.  Each one of these grapes loves the heat.  Texas is hot.  So why not plant heat-loving grapes?  Wouldn’t they prosper better than grapes that thrive in climes that are a bit cooler?  One would think.  The problem still comes down to what sells.  Turiga Nacional and Tempranillo don’t drive the attention in Texas (or America) that Cabernet and Chardonnay do.

Nevertheless, just planting what sells isn’t the way to go.  Texans will support their home state—they’re a tremendously proud people.  They really would support and purchase great wines from Texas—even if the wines aren’t well known.  They would because hot weather grapes, from a hot weather location, will produce better wines and bring greater attention and greater success to Texas.

There are a few wineries/winemakers that work with the hot weather grape of Tempranillo.  Tempranillo is the dominant red grape of Spain and is the primary grape in Rioja.  Three producers are: Kim McPherson of McPherson Cellars, Fall Creek Vineyards, and the up-and-coming Duchman Family Winery.  These wineries produce wines that Texans should be drinking simply because they just taste good.  They are made with grapes that love the heat; these are the right wines for Texas.

Be on the lookout for wines made from these grapes at your favorite Texas restaurant or in your local Texas wine shop.  Support the burgeoning Texas wine industry and support the lesser-known grape varietals which are perfectly suited to the hot Texas climate—you won’t be disappointed.