Many people either hear or read about New World or Old World wines and wonder what those worldly terms might mean.  Are they referring to young or old wines?  Expensive or cheap wines?  Screw cap wines or cork sealed wines?  What is the difference?  Does it even matter?

Understanding the differences between the two "Worlds" of wines can be both simple and complex.  Simply defined, Old World wines come from European countries that have been producing and consuming wines for centuries.   So wines from France, Germany, Italy, etc. are Old World wines whereas wines made in non-European countries like Australia, the United States, Chile, South Africa, etc. are New World wines. Simple enough, right? 

Not so fast...the complex part is to understand what the Old/New distinction actually says about the style of wine in the bottle.

Broadly speaking, New World styled wines have earned a reputation for being rounder,more fruit-driven wines that are meant to be consumed very young whereas Old World styled wines may seem more acidic, austere and less approachable to less-experienced wine drinkers.  Both styles are influenced by the soil and climate of the vineyard site (terroir), the way the grapes are cultivated (viticulture), the vineyard conditions throughout the growing season and at harvest, and most importantly a winemaker's choices when making the wine (vinification).   

All that seems relatively simple too, except it's really not! 

As global winemakers strive to craft internationally-styled wines that have broad commercial appeal, the previously clear line between Old and New World styles is blurring.  These days it is not uncommon to read a tasting note that describes an Italian Sangiovese as being made in a modern, New World style or an Australian Shiraz being made in a more restrained, Old World style.  This Old/New stylistic muddle is further confused by New World wines that are marketed as "Rhône" blends or California wines made using the Bordeaux blend of grapes and sold as a "Meritage" style wine.

In the case of the aforementioned ‘Old World style' Australian Shiraz, there might be a tiny clue on the label that indicates the winemaker's stylistic choice; the label might say Syrah instead of Shiraz - the same grape but one that has a different Old/New world names. This label nuance adds yet another layer of complexity to understanding differences and similarities between the two styles of wine wines! 

As far as labeling and naming wines, the Old World classifies and markets wines according to place or location, whereas the New World labels and markets wines by grape varietal and brand.   On balance, New World wines are more intuitive to shop for because they state the grape varietal on the label and usually have a brand name (sometimes really clever) that help the consumer remember which one they've tried or would like to try.  This means consumers can buy a "whatever-brand" Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay and have a pretty good idea of what will be in the bottle.



Not so for the Old World where the long tradition of winemaking requires producers to adhere to regional production methods, to use defined varietal blends, and in some places to market their wines under very strict labeling laws.  The average consumer needs a bit of coaching to decode a traditional Old World wine label because they must know a specific wine region/place and the sort of grapes that are used in the blend according to that region's prevailing wine laws. 

So, Pommard which is a red (Pinot Noir) wine from Burgundy (in France) is labeled with the place name.  If it wasn't made with the specific grape varietal and according to specific production rules the winemaker wouldn't be able to use the name Pommard to market the wine.  Yet, look at the label above and you won't see the grape varietal mentioned anywhere, so first time consumers would have no idea this was a Pinot Noir wine unless they had learned that elsewhere.

Recently the Old World is learning a few new marketing tricks and wine laws are permitting some classifications of wines to be labeled in a New World way.  This is another part of the blurr, because these Old World wines are sometimes made in more of a New World-style, e.g. very fruit focused, ripe and easy to drink, in order to appeal to New World wine drinkers.

Here is a table which enables you to determine which Old World place names will correspond to New World varietal labeling.  The best way to learn is to try and compare. Select a New and Old World wine of the same grape varietal from The Local Nose recommended wines, open them up and taste whether you can tell the difference.  Practice makes all the difference!

New and Old World Wine Translation Chart

Contributed by Ed Soon and Sarah Mayo