Old World tasting

I am not sure the average winedrinker gets what Old World wines are about.  These are the wines from countries that have a history of winemaking going back hundreds or more years.  Countries like Spain, Italy and France developed wine for the dinner table.  Long ago, drinking water was potentially deadly, so wine was the beverage on the table.  As a result the wines are best with food.  They don't fight with the food, and complement the meal like an ingredient or side dish.  My trouble is that most of the time, these types of wines do not show well in an open tasting format without food.  It's difficult to get someone to taste an old world wine and have an immediate affinity.  Whenever I sample new world wines, i.e. fruit forward, and more cocktail like, they easily sell as compared to the old world wines. Hmmm.  - Salamanzar