How the French and American Wine Industries are Joined at the Clone and Root

(WB) - In a quiet courtyard at the Montpellier SupAgro University in France there is a haunting statue of an ailing older woman being held and nurtured by a younger woman. While teaching there for a week several years ago, I asked several students and faculty to explain the meaning of the statue, but no one knew. Finally towards the end of the week a professor who had worked there for many years described the significance.

“The statue represents France’s relationship with America regarding the wine industry,” he said. “The older woman is France and she is sick with phylloxera in the late 1800’s, but she is nursed back to health by the younger woman, who is America, and brings American rootstock to revive the French wine industry.” He paused, and then with a twinkle in his eye, said, “Of course there are those who say it was America who sent phylloxera infested vines to France in the first place.”

The Livermore Connection – Concannon and Wente Clones

Recently I was reminded of the statue when I visited Concannon Winery in Livermore and met with John Concannon, the fourth generation vintner. He described how his great grandfather, James Concannon sailed to Bordeaux in 1883 to visit Chateau Margaux and Lafite in order to purchase cabernet sauvignon budwood from them via the nursery at Montpellier. He brought the budwood back to Livermore and planted 47 acres of vineyards, only to have them destroyed by phylloxera in 1893.
“So he sailed back to France in 1893,” explained John, “and purchased more cabernet sauvignon cuttings from Margaux and Lafite.” By this time both estates had grafted their budwood to American rootstock, and their vineyards were once again thriving.