America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree

Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by VBprogrammer on Sunday December 24, 2023 @01:49PM (#38755602)

There is an aphid which attacks grape vines that originated in North America. It's the reason that much of the European wine varieties has to be grafted onto American root to survive.

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by hn_throwaway_99 on Sunday December 24, 2023 @02:00PM (#38755697)

This is a great, interesting example. From the Wikipedia page on Phylloxera:

> In France alone, total wine production fell from 84.5 million hectolitres in 1875 to only 23.4 million hectolitres in 1889. Some estimates hold that between two-thirds and nine-tenths of all European vineyards were destroyed.

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by sam_lowry_ on Sunday December 24, 2023 @04:41PM (#38757154)

Little known fact: we lost the grape used to produce mustard before Phylloxera.

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by hn_throwaway_99 on Sunday December 24, 2023 @05:55PM (#38757842)

Can you explain? I don't understand, as mustard is made from the mustard plant, not grapes.

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by coryrc on Sunday December 24, 2023 @09:41PM (#38759173)

Dijon

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by sam_lowry_ on Monday December 25, 2023 @03:56PM (#38766034)

Mustard grains are soaked in wine vinegar nowadays.

Before phylloxera, a grape that gives a wine with high acidity was used.

It went extinct.

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Re:America Lost the Chestnut, Its One Perfect Tree by sam_lowry_ on Tuesday December 26, 2023 @06:22PM (#38777163)

correction: mustard flour, not grains.

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