Phylloxera

What it is

Phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) is a microscopic aphid originally from North America. The insect feeds on grapevine roots, sucking sap until the roots slowly die and the vine collapses within 3-5 years. European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) carry no natural defence; American species (Vitis rupestris, Vitis riparia) do.

The phylloxera crisis (1863-1900) destroyed an estimated two-thirds of all European vineyards. France lost around 2 million hectares (about half of its total area), with comparable impact in Italy, Spain and Portugal. An existential catastrophe for the wine sector that might have wiped out almost every traditional wine forever.

How Europe solved it

The rescue came ironically from the same region the pest had come from. American vine species proved resistant to phylloxera (they had co-evolved with the louse over millions of years). The solution became grafting: a European Vitis vinifera scion is set onto an American rootstock; the roots are American and immune, the above-ground foliage and grapes remain European.

From 1880 onward wine regions began systematically replanting with grafted vines. The process took 20-40 years per region. By 1920 90% of Europe’s vineyard area had been grafted onto American rootstocks.

What survived

A handful of zones escaped phylloxera through geographic isolation:

• Santorini (Greece): volcanic ash soil acts as a barrier
• Chile: mountain isolation and strict plant quarantine
• Parts of Australia (Barossa, Hunter Valley): colonial quarantine
• Champagne, parts of Aÿ + Bouzy: a few plots survived on sandy soil
• Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises: three walled plots totalling ~0.33 ha, sealed by sandy soil and isolation. Still delivers ungrafted 100% Pinot Noir.

These pre-phylloxera vines yield wines often treated as historic curiosities. Whether they intrinsically taste better is scientifically disputed; in blind tests many professional tasters could not consistently separate grafted and ungrafted versions of the same grape.

Consequences for Jerez and Champagne

Jerez (Marco de Jerez): Palomino was almost completely wiped out in 1894-1898. Replanting on grafted stock took until 1920. Old Palomino vines (>120 years) are therefore virtually non-existent in the region. A few bodegas retain rare ungrafted cepas viejas in sandy plots.

Champagne: phylloxera reached the region around 1890, with peak impact 1895-1910. Replanting on rootstocks ran in phases: the Marne first, the Aube last (around 1920). Bollinger’s famous Vieilles Vignes Françaises plots in Aÿ and Bouzy are the best-known pre-phylloxera survivors. Drappier also retains a few plots.

Recent return

Phylloxera has not been eradicated. Local outbreaks happen in newer wine regions where rootstock practice isn’t standard (Argentina, hill zones in California). The European AOC plantings are universally grafted and therefore protected. Genetic research since 2010 aims to identify a vinifera resistance gene that could make further grafting unnecessary; no results as of 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Does phylloxera still exist today?

Yes, in the soil of nearly every European wine region. The pest hasn’t been eradicated, only neutralised through grafting onto American rootstocks. Anyone planting an ungrafted European vine today would lose it within five years.

Does pre-phylloxera wine taste better?

Inconclusive. Supporters say yes: “purer”, “more complex”, “more terroir expression”. Sceptics say no: blind tests have not shown a consistent difference between grafted and ungrafted versions of the same grape under comparable conditions. The marketing story is stronger than the scientific data.

Which wines still come from pre-phylloxera vines?

Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises (0.33 ha Pinot Noir, Aÿ + Bouzy), Drappier old plots, some Santorini cuvées (Argyros, Sigalas with 200+ year vines), Chilean vinifera plantings pre-1880, and rare Australian old plots. All at premium prices in limited release.