The Tiny Pest That Nearly Destroyed European Wine

You may believe that the wine we drink today comes from the same vines and shares the same flavors of the world's past, but that’s not totally the case. Beyond flavor trends and growing practices, grape vines have gone through some difficult changes that allow us to keep drinking their delicious juice. The biggest, and most impactful effect on the vines we know and enjoy today is the phylloxera crisis that stormed through Europe in the nineteenth century. 

What is Phylloxera

Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, or better known as, Phylloxera, are aphid-like insects that nibble down grape vines–stunting their growth and more often killing the plant. These tiny bugs wreak havoc on vineyards, as they’re easily moved between cuttings, equipment, boots, or even blown by the wind. Grown phylloxera ease their way through soil, attacking surrounding plants until every root is infested.

Phylloxera is particularly difficult to control, besides being almost microscopic, they develop and multiply so quickly it’s impossible to stop an infestation once it starts. Their lifestages align just as grapes begin to bud, as nymphs grow in the spring when soil temperatures exceed 60°F. Through the summer, the pests grow into adults, feeding on vines and laying eggs, with up to three to five generations developing each year. Once soil temperatures fall below 60°F, all living life stages die, leaving the remaining nymph eggs to emerge the following spring. 

The Phylloxera Crisis

Native to North America, these tiny mites first made home on French soil in the early 1860s, where it’s believed a wine merchant unknowingly brought the pest when importing American vine cuttings. The exact origin of phylloxera in Europe is debated, but records show the pest first landed in the southern Rhône region of France around this time, as vines began to wither and die for unknown reasons.

In 1868, the grape phylloxera was found on dead grapevine roots. By this point, the crisis was in full effect. In the Bordeaux region an outbreak was established in 1869 and phylloxera continued to move quickly, advancing towards Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany. 

The southern and central vineyards of France were in total havoc with 40% of vines destroyed–an economic disaster for a country largely dependent on agriculture. Attempting to poison, flood, or even burn the affected vines to rid this horrid bug was no help. Despite all these costly measures, the bugs continued to plight the soil, and vineyards were in complete distress. 

Finally, a cure was found in 1887 right where the phylloxera originated–through American grape vines. Pierre Viala was sent off to America in effort to cure the crisis in Europe, after months of traveling and beginning to lose hope, he met Thomas Volney Munson who guided him to the vines of Dog Ridge, Texas. 

American vines had become resistant to the pest, and through grafting their strong roots to the weaker European grape shoots, Europe was able to save their precious grapes from total destruction. Today, the vast majority of European wines are still grown on these American rootstocks. With further research, the grafting of these roots has led to advancements in grape growth including a possible solution for wineries combatting climate change.

How to still savor Pre-Phylloxera Wine

Actual pre-phylloxera wine is far and few to come by, as the search for wine that’s around 150 years old isn’t entirely the easiest. Most often the case, these wines have been barreled for over a hundred years and then bottled more recently. The lucky few that have had the chance to taste a sip from these precious bottles can only describe the flavors as liquid gold.

The Rivesaltes 1874 Chateau Sisqueille is just one opportunity to taste this historic wine. Bottled between 2011 and 2013, the pre-phylloxera wine spent 137 years melding in a barrel to become a round, full, and flavorful wine. Those who have had the chance to taste this almost ancient wine describe the flavors as thick and concentrated, with a sugary, almond, orange aroma that melds into caramel and marmalade with every subsequent sip. Its final flavors are fresh, sensible, and elegant. 

Another means to attempt a pre-phylloxera wine experience is enjoying a glass from regions that are phylloxera resistant. While you may not have the same enjoyment as sipping on a century old glass, you’ll be sure to experience robust flavors unlike today’s traditional wines. Look towards regions of Australia and Chile, who avoided the phylloxera crisis in its entirety. Even some regions in Europe weren’t completely infiltrated by these little pests, such as Sicily, Italy, around Mount Etna. The stony soil and volcanic ash is inhabitable for these little pests, and wineries continue to grow ungrafted vines on the northern slopes of the volcano. 

Champagne's house of Bollinger has two small plots of pre-phylloxera pinot noir: the Chades Terres and Clos Saint Jacques. No different than the rest of the 150 hectares of vineyards, there really is no reason these mites have yet to munch on the roots of these vines. Bollinger offers the vintage Vieilles Vignes Françaises (“old French vines”) grown from these single-rooted plots, so we can get an inkling of a taste for wine’s past.

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