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Article

Petit Manseng

A long time ago, brave souls looking for an easier route to the Far East set sail west across the Atlantic Ocean. Controversial at the time given the prevailing philosophy was that the Earth was flat. But these believers were living outside of the conventional norms, and I recall in my own personal circle someone telling me, “If you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” This phrase sounds like something that was said by some famous philosopher, and I can’t recall if it was ever cited, however it stuck with me. Aside, I think about it from time to time when I need to motivate myself or someone else. But what came about from those early perilous voyages were the terms “Old World” and “New World.” In a recent seminar, the attendees debated the definitions of both terms in relation to winemaking, and considerable debate there was. One point most everyone agreed on was that Old World Vitis vinifera grapes were historically made into wines that were far superior to those (non-Vitis vinifera) grapes