 While wines in the New World are often labeled based on the varietal (such as Chardonnay or Tempranillo), wines in the Old World are generally labeled based on the region or place that they come from (such as Montrachet or Ribera del Duero).This is because Old World winemakers believe that the unique "terroir"-driven characteristics of where a wine comes from plays a more distinct role in shaping the resulting wine than the grape variety itself.Viticulture in most of the Old World wine regions dates back to several hundred or even thousands of years with the Phoenicians, Greeks, Thracians and Romans establishing some of the earliest vineyards.