Book description
In the mid-1860s, grapevines in southeastern France inexplicably began to wither and die. Jules-Émile Planchon, a botanist from Montpellier, was sent to investigate. He discovered that the vine roots were covered in microscopic yellow insects. What they were and where they had come from was a mystery. The infestation advanced…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Botanist and the Vintner as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I first read this incredible book based on real events following a California winemaker friend's recommendation. I was immediately captured by this true story that reads like a modern-day thriller and details the sudden rise, devastating spread, and unlikely solution to halting the world-conquering, grapevine-killing aphid phylloxera. No other event in winemaking history has so profoundly impacted the history and modern-day status of viticulture and viniculture worldwide.
The impacts of phylloxera echo through to this day in the grapes that are grown in vineyards and the wine in our bottles. I loved this book for its detailed exploration of wine…
From Steven's list on on wine history.
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