Bottling for European markets vs USA

[jgrodman]

well i am not a "wine drinker", i recently spent several weeks travelling through Italy. We would typically drink wine both at lunch and dinner. I enjoyed every bottle, regardless if it was white or red. When i returned back to the USA, i noticed that i didn't like the flavor as much. Is there a difference in how wines are bottled for the US market? Are there additional perservatives added for US bottles? Trying to make sense of why the different taste.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Jgrodman, and welcome to the Wine Board. Emphatically yes. European winemakers make a lot of wine specifically for the American market, and vice versa. The same folks make different wines for the folks at home. There was a big article in the media recently about an outfit in CA that was bottling wine for sale in England. The wines bore no semblence to the ones Americans demand.

European wine drinkers like lean, fruity, acidic wines that go with food. Americans like big brash oaky wines that go with talk.

Just speaking in generalities here.

[Drew]

It also sounds like you were on Holiday which makes everything taste better. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/biggrin.gif[/img]

Drew

[Thomas]

But please do not think that the wines made for the American market come with preservatives, and such. As IK said, it is a matter of different winemaking techniques for separate markets.

[Bucko]

And don't think that all Americans like overoaked messes... YUCK!