The New World is a historical term for the Americas discovered by the Spaniards under Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) in 1492. It was contrasted with the known Old World, consisting of Europe, Asia and Africa. In a broader sense, Australia, New Zealand and Africa could also be counted as part of it in terms of viticulture.
The great voyages of discovery also opened up these regions to viticulture, which was unknown there. The colonists brought European vines with them from their homeland and had a religious motivation above all, namely to produce mass wine. On the North American continent, especially on the east coast, there were many wild vines growing in the forests, but the indigenous people were not familiar with targeted cultivation or winemaking.
![]()
Serious sources on the internet are rare - and Wine lexicon from wein.plus is one such source. When researching for my articles, I regularly consult the wein.plus encyclopaedia. There I get reliable and detailed information.
Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi