While the Napa Valley is hoping it can turn back the tide against the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter and the Pierce’s disease it carries, the Australian wine industry had a recent scare of its own with the discovery of grapevine leaf rust on vines in a Darwin garden. Six other cases were later identified in Darwin. A fungal endemic from northern Asia that kills and retards vine growth, grapevine leaf rust could possibly wreak havoc on Australia’s A$3.6bn wine industry. Nobody really understands if this tropical disease really poses a threat to our wine regions in more temperate climates, but who would want to find out?
