Grape Phylloxera. What the heck is that? We keep talking about it as if it is a commonly known event/disease/thing that I don't even know enough to classify. I certainly didn't know what it was and I have been faking it the last few weeks, acting like I did. Even worse, I cannot pronounce it! So I decided to do some basic Wikipedia-ing to find out! Here is what I learned:
The "disease" was brought across the Atlantic from the States to Europe in the late 1850s and it was first recorded in France in 1863 in Languedoc. The aphid (insect) that caused the damage, however, was known to the French much earlier and was first discovered by the French themselves in their plantations in Florida in the 16th century. as they tried to plant grape vines there, but failed quickly. The Phylloxera is a pest that injects a venom that is very deadly to the European variety of grape vine. The toxin the bug releases targets the root structure of the vine and quickly corrodes it, allowing the bug to insert its feeding tube and extract the sap. The insect then moves on as soon as it has had its fill, making it hard for the vintners to discover the cause at first. But how did it finally cross the Atlantic? It is believed that the invention of the steam ship allowed quicker transport of American vines to Europe, which the Europeans had been experimenting with for years. The quicker journey gave the aphids better chances of surviving and led to their arrival in the mid 19th century. After trying many solutions, including positioning toads and fowl near the vines to get them to eat the insects, ultimately Americans and French together discovered that by grafting the European vines to the to the aphid-resistant American rootstock, they could save the European vine stock. The process / event of saving the European vines became known as the "reconstitution" by the European grape growers. In modern day, there is no known cure for the blight, and the only way to prevent it is to use grafted vines. The only exception is a vine that grows in Santorini, however, people believe it has more to do with the volcanic ash in which the vines are planted, and not the roots themselves. While most European vines are now grafted, some still remain ungrafted and untouched by the blight, sparking a debate as to which produces better wines. Bollinger is one such vineyard that uses ungrafted vines. I say, let's test them all and find out!
The "disease" was brought across the Atlantic from the States to Europe in the late 1850s and it was first recorded in France in 1863 in Languedoc. The aphid (insect) that caused the damage, however, was known to the French much earlier and was first discovered by the French themselves in their plantations in Florida in the 16th century. as they tried to plant grape vines there, but failed quickly. The Phylloxera is a pest that injects a venom that is very deadly to the European variety of grape vine. The toxin the bug releases targets the root structure of the vine and quickly corrodes it, allowing the bug to insert its feeding tube and extract the sap. The insect then moves on as soon as it has had its fill, making it hard for the vintners to discover the cause at first. But how did it finally cross the Atlantic? It is believed that the invention of the steam ship allowed quicker transport of American vines to Europe, which the Europeans had been experimenting with for years. The quicker journey gave the aphids better chances of surviving and led to their arrival in the mid 19th century. After trying many solutions, including positioning toads and fowl near the vines to get them to eat the insects, ultimately Americans and French together discovered that by grafting the European vines to the to the aphid-resistant American rootstock, they could save the European vine stock. The process / event of saving the European vines became known as the "reconstitution" by the European grape growers. In modern day, there is no known cure for the blight, and the only way to prevent it is to use grafted vines. The only exception is a vine that grows in Santorini, however, people believe it has more to do with the volcanic ash in which the vines are planted, and not the roots themselves. While most European vines are now grafted, some still remain ungrafted and untouched by the blight, sparking a debate as to which produces better wines. Bollinger is one such vineyard that uses ungrafted vines. I say, let's test them all and find out!
