French appellation law began as an anti-fraud measure. Phylloxera caused the shortage, the shortage caused the counterfeiting, and the counterfeiting produced the AOC.
Charles Valentine Riley (1843–1895) confirmed phylloxera’s identity, shipped resistant American rootstock to France from 1870, and was made a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
Jules-Émile Planchon identified and named phylloxera in 1868 — a botanist who had spent his career naming plants, including the kiwifruit, before he was asked why France’s vines were dying.
A few vineyards never needed grafting. Santorini, Colares, Chile and the Barossa still grow vines on their own roots — living relics of the pre-phylloxera world.
In the 1980s phylloxera returned — in Napa. A rootstock France had abandoned in 1903 was planted across 70% of the valley, and biotype B destroyed it, forcing a $1bn replant.
Grapevines are grafted because of phylloxera — European fruit above ground, American roots below. How grafting works, where rootstocks come from, and why growers now choose them as carefully as the grape.
Wine history in Chile Chile is a unique country with a profound history and culture of winemaking. The country is situated in one of the world's most diverse and dynamic New World wine regions. […]
The Emergence of Phylloxera in Napa Valley Introduction: The History of Napa Valley and Phylloxera Even though there is historical evidence that a large number of wild grapes were native to Napa Valley, the […]
April 1100: Schloss Johannisberg, Germany, was established during this time. In 1720, when the whole estate was planted with a Riesling type of grapes, Schloss Johannisberg made history by becoming the world's first closed […]
An Evaluation of Phylloxera's Impact on Spain Phylloxera proved to be an ecological and financial disaster for Europe's winemaking industry, including Spain. However, its influence eventually led to the beginning of a new era […]
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