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Roots of Disaster: The Phylloxera Story. A tiny insect nearly erased wine from history — discover how science, stubbornness, and a Texan saved it.
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In the late 1800s, an almost invisible insect began destroying Europe’s vineyards. This episode of The Wine Lab takes you inside the phylloxera crisis — from the first mysterious vine deaths in France to the desperate experiments, scientific breakthroughs, and global collaboration that saved wine from near extinction. Along the way, we meet the heroes of the story, including Texan horticulturist T.V. Munson, whose work with American rootstocks helped rescue French viticulture. Discover how this tiny pest reshaped winemaking traditions, why grafted vines are now the global standard, and why phylloxera is still with us today.
Glossary
Phylloxera – The root-feeding insect that caused the 19th-century wine crisis.
- Current scientific name: Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Fitch, 1855)
- Historical name: Phylloxera vastatrix (“devastating phylloxera”), the term used during the crisis and still found in many older accounts.
Vitis vinifera – The European grape species from which most classic wine varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, etc.) are derived.
Rootstock – The lower portion of a grafted vine, made from a resistant American grape species or hybrid, providing roots and protection from phylloxera and soil stresses.
Scion – The upper portion of a grafted vine, which grows the shoots, leaves, and grape clusters. Determines the grape variety and wine style.
Cambium – The thin layer of actively dividing cells just under the bark of a plant. When the cambium layers of scion and rootstock align during grafting, they fuse and allow nutrient and water flow.
Grafting – The horticultural technique of joining a scion to a rootstock so they grow as one plant. Grafting European Vitis vinifera onto American rootstocks is the standard global solution to phylloxera.
Hybrid grape – A vine bred by crossing Vitis vinifera with American grape species to combine resistance and adaptability. Early hybrids were criticized for producing wines with unfamiliar “foxy” aromas but are experiencing renewed interest in modern viticulture.
Ungrafted vine – A vine growing on its own roots, without grafting. Rare today except in sandy soils or in phylloxera-free regions such as much of Chile and the Canary Islands.
Rioja Boom – The surge in Spanish wine production and modernization of Rioja in the late 19th century, driven by French wine merchants escaping phylloxera devastation in France.
Chevalier du Mérite Agricole – A French agricultural honor awarded to T.V. Munson in 1888 for his contributions in selecting American rootstocks that saved European vineyards.
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