I guess most people just know best about what pests affect their area. Here in France, phylloxera is well known for having decimated our vines after having arrived from America (what saved the French wine industry was grafting our species on the roots of phylloxera-resistant but unpalatable American vines).
Same for the Argentinian ants that have founded the supercolony along the Mediterranean coast.
This is actually referring to different species of grapes, and has nothing to do with winemaking technique or prowess.
Virtually every type of "quality wine" that is consumed in the world comes from the old world species vitis vinifera. This includes basically every variety you've heard of: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Merlot, just to name a few French varieties (but the same applies to Italian, Spanish, German, etc. wines). Any American winemakers making those kinds of wines (and I agree that many New World wines go toe-to-toe with the best France has to offer!) are using grape vines that were originally imported from Europe.
In addition, there are several species of grapes that are native to North America, the best known of which is probably the Concord grape. Unfortunately, due to their flavor profiles these species don't tend to be used for winemaking (one exception being Manischewitz and other sweet ritual wines). However, they have a natural resistance to phylloxera, which saved vitis vinifera from decimation and likely extinction through the grafting technique.
Same for the Argentinian ants that have founded the supercolony along the Mediterranean coast.