Wine on the Radio - April 4, 2003

American Roots  

Eighty-five percent of the wine grapes in the world grow on American roots.

 

It's true.

 

Back in the late 1800's there was a devastating plague that hit Europe 's vineyards caused by a small insect that attacks the roots of wine producing grapevines.   This tiny bug, called phylloxera, destroyed much of the continent's grapevines.

 

Now this little guy originally came from the roots of an American grape species introduced into Europe . . . that's the bad news.  

 

The good news is that this American grape species was immune to it.  

 

The answer . . . get to the root of the problem . . . graft the European wine producing vines on to these immune American roots and replant the vineyards.  

 

This brilliant move is responsible for the great variety of quality wine we have today.

 

No pesticides, just a lot of ingenuity.  

 

Phylloxera hasn't gone away but these American roots make it mostly just a memory.

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