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BUGGED The questions jump from customs forms every time I fly to the USA, or home to Canada: Am I bringing fruits, vegetables, plants, or seeds into the country? How about disease agents, cell cultures, or snails? Insects, maybe? I nervously check the soles of my shoes to make sure nothing crept into the creases.
Every day, humans transport living things, both on purpose and by accident, and sometimes with catastrophic results. Transplanted organisms can take over. In the wine world, we know that popular grape varieties have travelled widely. Along the way, a little bug named phylloxera changed the entire wine world by hitchhiking aboard a human ship, sailing across oceans.
Sylvia Jansen, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CSW
The problems of transplanting living things were invisible for the longest time. Early explorers needed to return with cool souvenirs as proof to their sponsors that they had made it across the ocean. In the 1800s, biology-loving Victorians took the idea to a new level. The whole world became a science project. Butterflies from the Amazon, exotic birds from Africa, wild plants from anywhere— it was all fair game.
Within this milieu, it was a no-brainer for grape growers to bring their European vines to North America. When their noble vines mysteriously withered and died in the New World, they sent living vines back to Europe to study.( North American grapes made terrible wine, so people were understandably desperate.) Little did they know that the answer, with a bigger problem, was hitchhiking in the soil: phylloxera, a tiny bug, smaller than the head of a pin. While North American grape vines were resistant, European vines were completely vulnerable.
Once on( or rather, in) European soil, phylloxera began quietly eating its way through the continent. At first, there were pockets here and there, then vineyards, entire regions, until almost three quarters of Europe’ s vineyards were devastated. While their vines were dying, worry settled into terror for vignerons and consumers alike. Governments formed committees. People looked seriously at each other across boardroom tables. Some people believed it was the end. They would have to drink North American plonk. Religious fanatics said it was the botanical equivalent of Judgment Day: a fitting punishment for the over-imbibing masses.
When phylloxera was discovered, it was formidable. It had no known predators, a rugged constitution, and lots to eat. People tried flooding their vineyards( not easy on hills). Governments formed committees. People again looked seriously at each other. Prizes were offered. Someone suggested hiring local boys to use vineyards as outdoor washrooms. Finally, biologists proposed the outrageous: graft the noble European vine stock onto resistant North American rootstock. It was crazy. And, it worked.
It took a bit of convincing to sidle up to such an unattractive alliance. But over time, and to the present, almost all vineyards the world over use North American rootstock grafted to European vine stock. There are some exceptions: sandy pockets scattered around Europe; the Barossa Valley in Australia; and all of Chile. Surrounded by desert, mountains, the ocean, and Antarctica, Chile has a natural immunity. Thanks to a rigorous quarantine program, it stays that way.
So, if you are considering the idea of bringing some cool new plant home from your travels, think about the bug. Don’ t do it. And please, wipe your shoes before boarding the plane.
Here’ s to you, completely unbugged. �
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