Phylloxera in the municipality of Vila Nova de Ourém – 1882-1900

Abstract

In the second half of the 19th century, Europe was ravaged by the phylloxera plague. The Portuguese vineyard did not escape the phylloxera which, initially, devastated the Douro region. From the 1880s onwards, the Estremadura region and the rest of Portugal were affected by this insect. The municipality of Vila Nova de Ourém was the first in the district of Santarém to show its presence, detected at Quinta da Motta, owned by António de Sousa e Alvim, and it quickly spread to the rest of the administrative area. In a preliminary analysis, shows that the geological conditions encouraged the rapid spread of the insect, coupled with the fact that most winegrowers failed to take steps to combat the pest. After two years of experimenting with carbon sulphide, planting vines on American rootstocks proved to be the most successful way of solving the problem. Wine production fell considerably to the point where the municipality had to import wine for its own consumption. But this plague led to the adoption of new viticultural practices by oureenses winegrowers.