Daily Wine Tidbits: Phylloxera

Have you ever heard of Phylloxera? Well, this little insect is a tiny pest that almost completely ruined the wine industry as we know it. In 1863, this pest, which is native to the East Coast of the United States, was sent to Europe accidentally on a cutting that was intended to be planted for experimental purposes. What it did, however, was completely devastate Europe's vineyards, pushing California's wine industry through the roof! However, that same year, the pest attacked California's vines and the industry faced financial ruin. In fact, this tiny little bugger caused the greatest disasterous crop epidemic of all time! European winemakers came to the rescue though, and grafted vinifera vines onto the rootstock of lambrusca vines , creating a supervine so to speak, that was immune to the pest. Lambrusca vines are immune to the pest, so using it in this way was a great idea!