New World

The "New World" is one of the names used for the continents of North and South America collectively, in use since the 16th century. The continents were "new" to the Europeans, who had assumed that the world consisted only of Europe, Asia, and Africa (the Old World). It is also a name for the Modern World we live in.

Nowadays, the term is generally used in a historical context when talking about Spanish exploration, Christopher Columbus, etc.

See also: New World Symphony

The term is also used to describe a style of wine popularized by producers outside the traditional wine-growing areas of Europe. Typically riper, darker in color, fuller-bodied, smoother, fruitier and more alcoholic, these wines are stereotypically produced in the United States (specifically California) and Australia. However, the term has come to describe a wine with some or all of these characteristics produced in any wine region. Conversely, a wine produced in the New World might be considered Old World in style.