Phylloxera by Christy Campbell, HarperCollins, £17.99, ISBN 0007115350 Reviewed by Roy Herbert
THIS is a story of a great escape. In the early 1860s France was invaded by a tiny aphid with a voracious appetite. It munched relentlessly through the roots of vines, spread at great speed and was soon devastating the famous vineyards of France. It dawned on the French winemakers that they were facing catastrophe. All wines, from the classed growths of Bordeaux to vins ordinaires were doomed.
Soon it seemed that vineyards all over Europe would suffer the same disaster. No prayers or treatments, such as pumping…
