Great French Wine Blight

Great French Wine Blight

The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid waste the wine industry. It was caused by an aphid (the actual genus of the aphid is still debated, but it is largely considered to be a species of Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, commonly known as grape phylloxera) that originated in North America and was carried across the Atlantic in the late 1850s.

History

The blight began in the early 1860s in the Rhone valley and spread throughout the wine-producing regions of France. Despite efforts to stop the blight, it reached Bordeaux by the 1870s and by 1880 nearly all the vineyards of France were devastated. The French wine industry was saved by grafting resistant American rootstock to the European vines.

Impact

The impact of the Great French Wine Blight was severe. The wine industry in France was nearly destroyed, with the loss of many jobs and a significant impact on the French economy. The blight also led to a significant increase in the price of wine, as the supply was greatly reduced.

Aftermath and Recovery

The recovery from the blight was slow and difficult. The solution, discovered by French entomologist Jules-Émile Planchon, involved grafting the susceptible European grape vines onto the resistant rootstock of American vines. This process, known as grafting, is still used today to protect vineyards from phylloxera.

See also

• History of French wine
• Phylloxera
• Grafting