Phylloxera, the Other Infection

It was a month before harvest. We were told that our grape order with a Walla Walla vineyard could not be fulfilled due to a light crop this year. Thinking that the unseasonably warm weather might be the cause, we switched our order and went with a Yakima vineyard instead. Then through the grapevine (no pun intended), I learned about the real culprit - phylloxera!

Cartoon from Punch, September 6, 1890

Phylloxera Plague

You may have heard of the phylloxera epidemic in Europe back in the 19th century. The vineyards there were severely decimated, bringing the wine industry to its knee. It started when American vines were brought across the Atlantic Ocean to be studied. Unfortunately, little pesky stowaways went along with them and somehow snuck into the vineyards.

Phylloxerae are microscopic insects that feed on the leaves and roots of the grapevines. In the roots, they can cause critical damage and introduce a secondary bacterial or fungal infection, eventually starving the vines of nutrients and water. It was estimated that over 40% of the French vineyards were devastated over 15 years during the plague.

Champagne vineyards once devastated by phylloxera

Early attempts to contain the plague ranged from chemicals to pesticides. Some vineyards even introduced predators like toads and chicken to control the phylloxera population. These attempts were in vain. The only viable solution was to graft European vines onto phylloxera-resistant American rootstocks. These rootstocks have developed a natural defense against the insect. When bitten, the American root exudes a sap to clog the louse's mouth and then forms a layer of tissue to protect itself from any secondary infection. 

The grafting approach was wildly successful in saving the European grapevines, also known as Vitis vinifera. You can thank the American rootstock as you sip your glass of Bordeaux or Barolo.

Dodging the Phylloxera Bullet?

Many vineyards growing Vitis vinifera grapes have preemptively avoided the threat of phylloxera by planting only vines that are grafted on resistant rootstocks. But there are areas in Europe and beyond that have remained unscathed by the louse. Apparently, phylloxera does not survive well in the slate soil of Mosel or the volcanic soil of Mount Etna. Grapevines in those areas are still grown in their native rootstocks.

Phylloxera also tends not to thrive in cooler climate. Until recently, Washington had been virtually phylloxera-free and was able to grow Vitis vinifera in their native rootstocks as well. However, with climate change, phylloxera has started making inroads into a few Walla Walla vineyards leading to an outbreak in 2019. 

Phylloxera does not tolerate cold winter

Reluctant to give up the native rootstocks, many Walla Walla vineyards hope to contain the spread of phylloxera through better sanitation practices and extensive quarantine protocol. Several vineyards have required boots to be disinfected and also placed a limit on visitor traffic. If nothing else, this may slow the spread and buy the vineyards time to plan for the eventual transition to American rootstocks.

While there is always the debate about the quality of wine being affected by grafted vines, the truth is that it hasn't hurt sales in Napa or Bourgogne. However, ripping off infected vines and replanting with new ones is very costly. Additionally, it often takes about three years before a new vine can produce viable grapes. 

One wonders how that all may play into the psyche of Walla Walla wineries as they deal with phylloxera. Are they going to be doers or deniers?

Spanish Burgundy - A Historical Fiction

Jose Lopez Bertran came from generations of winemakers, who had borne much hardship for the love of their craft. His grandfather, Joseph Bertran, was a winemaker from Beaune.

In the 1870's when vineyards all over France were plagued with phylloxera, French wine became a scarce commodity. Consumers started looking to Spain to make up for the shortfall. Many French winemakers moved south and brought their craft to Spain. Joseph Bertran was one such winemaker, and he moved to Catalonia.

In Catalonia, Joseph fell in love with and married Maria Lopez, daughter of a Spanish vineyard worker. They settled in Tarragona, a region known for fortified sweet red wines, similar to port. However, Joseph continued to make dry red wine as a nod to his Burgundian roots.

European vines on American rootstock

While delayed, phylloxera did finally arrive in Spain in the late 1890's, and Tarragonian vineyards were not spared. Thankfully, the remedy for phylloxera by grafting American rootstock to the Europeans vines was already discovered. Despite severe damages to the vineyards, phylloxera was soon under control.

Jose was born in 1920. He was raised a cellar rat and learned winemaking from his grandfather. Up till the mid 1930's, the Spanish wine industry recovered from phylloxera and saw a brief uneventful period of stability. That too was short-lived as the political climate in Spain grew tense with the struggle between leftist revolution and rightist counter-revolution.

1936 saw the beginning of the Spanish Civil War, and the entire country and Spanish territories went through a time of political unrest. By 1939, with the help of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, General Francisco Franco led his nationalist movement into victory and started to rule the country as a military dictator. Catalonia was one of the last regions to come under Franco's control. The vineyards fell into disarray, and Jose and his family escaped to southern France.

That same year, Adolf Hitler led Nazi Germany into World War II and started invading France and various parts of Europe. Jose and many of his counterparts decided to join the French Resistance. He was assigned to work with Burgundian winemakers, such as Maurice Drouhin. Jose was key to coordinating the Resistance activities in 1941 and 1942, especially during the period when Maurice was arrested by the Germans. That was also the time when the Allied Powers started to garner support from various affiliate countries to counter the aggression of the Axis Powers, that comprised of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

In 1943, the Allied Powers, led by United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union, conducted the first bombing raid in German cities. By 1944, Normandy was recaptured by the Allied Powers in Operation Overlord, D-Day. The Axis Powers started to decline, but it wasn't till Hitler's death in 1945 that Nazi Germany truly surrendered to the Allied Powers.

Spanish Burgundy

In 1947, Jose and his family moved back to Tarragona. During World War II, Spain had remained neutral despite its proximity to France. Franco was trying to balance his gratitude to Germany and Italy for their help in winning the Civil War, without making an enemy out of the United Kingdom. In the meantime, domestic unrest within Spain continued.

The Bertrans tried to restore their vineyards in Tarragona. World War II had so adversely impacted wine trade in Europe. It was not until 1950's that political stability both within Spain and in Europe allowed for a revival of the wine industry. It was also at this time that large co-operative wineries were founded producing generic bulk wines, such as Spanish sauternes and Spanish chablis. Jose started producing his own Spanish burgundy. 1951 was his first vintage post-war.

Fast forward to 2017, a paralegal in Seattle named Matt was helping an old client with his will. Both love a good bottle of wine. The old man gave Matt a few bottles from his personal collection of old European wines. There was no telling if any of them was any good. Among them was a 1951 Spanish red, Delavin Burgundy by Jose Lopez Bertran. We opened the bottle this past summer. It was delicious, very much alive, and paired quite well with the paella we had that evening. We were puzzled by a burgundy made in Spain, but the story behind the wine and the winemaker was richer than we could imagine.