When the phylloxera louse swept through European vineyards in the late 19th century, devastating France, Germany, and almost every wine region on earth, Armenia escaped almost entirely. Geographic isolation, high-altitude cold winters, and volcanic soils provided natural barriers the pest could not breach. The result: most Armenian vines today still grow on their own original rootstock — ungrafted, as they have been for thousands of years — making Armenia one of only a handful of wine countries in the world where pre-phylloxera vine genetics survive intact.
1328Wine & Viticulture
