http://www.avalon-tours.com/News/news97_6.html

Wasn't the Phylloxera present in the vines that went over there?
No, because the Phylloxera didn't exist in Europe before the vines came over in the late 1800's from California. The American vines are actually the resident host of this parasite - the carrier - and when the first vines arrived in Europe they brought the parasite with them. The French vines, Vinis Vinifera, are not resistant, and that's why the only solution was to graft the French vines onto the American rootstock which could survive the Phylloxera.

Were vines grafted in France before this?
No, vines were always propagated by cuttings before this - not only here but all over the world.

Why were the vines first brought over here from California?
I don't know; I suppose because someone wanted to try something new, to experiment, to see what would happen.



;-))

Thanx

Interesting read. I have not had a chance to go look up anything on it yet :)

So, the French (although he was in no way whiny about it or anything) basically blame the Americans for the blight (or at least he American Vines) and most of the time I remember hearing it from Americans was in some context of "we saved the French wine industry"....

Lololol... Sounds almost like politics to me :yowsa:

Sare,
they saved it from the lice THEY brought to France by providing lice resistant roots for grafting
;-)))

it's like me hitting you in the head with baseball bat, driving you to emergency and claim that I saved your life!
;-0)))

You'd drive me to emergency ??

You like me, you really like me :yowsa: