Phylloxera Part 2

Phylloxera Part 2

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Yesyterday we started a series of programs to explain what phylloxera is and what it has to do with wine.

We learned yesterday phylloxera is a louse which attacks wine grape roots, and was likely native to North America. It was inadvertently spread to Europe between the 1850’s and the turn of the century. However, eventually the root louse invaded the European continent. Although France was the hardest hit, estimates measure the loss to have been from two thirds to nine tenths of all European wine vineyards destroyed. Eventually it was determined hybridization and use of resistant root stocks could help. Native American vines vitis labrusca are naturally phylloxera resistant. But vitis labrusca had aromas that were not attractive to those who are attracted to European wine grape varieties. So the goal was to create a hybrid resistant to phylloxera, but made wine that didn’t smell like the American grapevine. Ironically, the hybrids tend not to be especially highly resistant to phylloxera, although they are more hardy with respect to climate and other vine diseases. The new hybrid varieties have never gained the popularity of the traditional ones. In the EU they are generally banned or at least strongly discouraged from use in quality wine. But they are still in widespread use in North American regions such as Missouri, Ontario and upstate New York, where they yield commercially acceptable wines. Tomorrow we will continue the story of phylloxera. In the meantime, send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today’s Vine to Wine.

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