Old World vs New World: the Complete Conversation!
From colonialism to cancel culture
This month, I proposed the topic for our Wine Conversation, so I’m now compiling it into one easy-to-drink post so readers can follow the chat after the fact. There were six wine writers who contributed, each offering very different takes – and I recommend subscribing to them all if you haven’t already! But first, let’s recap the topic:
Old World vs New World – a relevant distinction or an outdated classification?
I kicked off what I assumed would be a somewhat controversial debate in my initial post, in which I try to set out some basic definitions of what we mean by the terms “Old World” and “New World” and note how far they’ve converged in recent years. While they used to serve as stylistic shorthand, there are so many exceptions that they carry very little meaning – and other stylistic markers can easily fill the same function.
In part 2,
from dives into the history and mythology of the terms (including the problematic colonial part) and argues that phrases like “up-and-coming” and “new” keep wine regions in a perpetual state of second-class status.
Next,
(aka ) furthers the argument in favour of nixing the terms – based on news that the Court of Master Sommeliers has recently eliminated the use of Old World and New World from their official exam vocabulary. Who knew?! from finds herself in violent agreement with the rest of us – although she notes how difficult it is to change her own word choice, especially in her “blind tasting flow chart” (making me realise that I clearly need a flow chart in my brain, too).
Just when we thought we might all be far too agreeable,
from brought us her thoughts on cancel culture – and why cancelling terms like New World and Old World is unhelpful. Especially when it’s making life harder for the customer.
And finally, Joel Butler concluded the conversation on
with his look back at history and tradition. Coming full circle and ending up back where we started, he concludes that while the terms might work to describe geographical origin, they no longer serve to differentiate style.
Want to join the Wine Conversation next month? If you’re a wine writer with an opinion (aren’t we all!) contact our Lush-in-Chief
and he’ll add you to the rotation.Until next month, enjoy the debate and be sure to read the comments under all the articles – they’re often the best bit!