In most wine circles you will hear the terms "New World Wines" and "Old World Wines". These terms describe a very general system of categorizing wine. Old World means Europe, New World is "not Europe". While it seems absurd to group such an enormous range of wines such as all of the wines of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal etc. and compare it to all of the wines of America, Australia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, etc. there is a bit of logic at work behind the madness.

The wineries of Europe have been producing wines for centuries, and they have developed a very tight system of governance over the craft of winemaking. In Europe the terroir, or lay of the land, is king. Wines are named after where they come from, and that location determines exactly what grape varietals are used in the blends, in what proportions, and how they are made. This creates a very strong regional styles among Old World wines and makes it possible to determine where a wine is from just by sniffing and tasting it. Another common attribute is that Old World wines tend to be significantly less fruity than their New World counters. But as time goes by more and more Old World wineries are succumbing to the "international style" of very fruit forward wines.

New World wines on the other hand, have no traditional style. Without local laws to guide winemakers, wineries plant whatever they want wherever they want. Without a tradition to follow, New World wineries are free to experiment, create new and strange blends and just make their wines however the winemaker sees fit. There is a strong sense of adventure and a yearning for identity among New World winemakers.

While New World wineries are starting to acknowledge the importance of the Old World concept of terroir, a winery's terroir is not what is promoted. Most New World wines focus on the grape variety used in the wine, be it Merlot, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, by featuring the varietal name prominently on the bottle. The idea being that because each varietal has its own, distinct flavor attributes, the varietal is what contributes the most to a wine's final flavor. New World wineries like to push the flavors of the varietal as far as possible, accentuating the fruit, or spiciness or whatever it is that makes a particular varietal appealing to the public.

Like the Old World however, these generalities are becoming less and less accurate. For example, in California and Australia, many wineries calling themselves the "Rhone Rangers" are focusing on making styles very similar to the traditional wines of the Rhone Valley. As the traditions of old and new cross pollinate, and as New New Worlders such as China and Japan come into the fold, the idea of separating the regions into Old and New will probably become increasingly irrelevant.