Charles de Grasset

Charles de Grasset (1830 – 1899) was a French landowner, viticultural nurseryman, and practical breeder. His name is inextricably linked to overcoming the phylloxera crisis in Europe. In collaboration with Professor Alexis Millardet, he created the famous series of phylloxera-resistant rootstocks, which achieved worldwide renown under the acronym Mgt (Millardet et de Grasset).

Practical Contribution to Rootstock Breeding

Unlike the academic researcher Millardet, Charles de Grasset possessed profound practical expertise in vine nursery management and viticultural techniques. At his estate in the Hérault department in southern France, he established extensive experimental plots for testing and hybridizing American Vitis species.

De Grasset took charge of the most labor-intensive part of the breeding process — executing thousands of cross-pollinations, raising seedlings, evaluating their affinity (rootstock-scion compatibility) with European Vitis vinifera varieties, and studying their adaptation to various soil types. It was his practical insights that enabled the selection of specific hybrid forms from a vast pool of seedlings, which later became global viticultural benchmarks (including 41 B Mgt, 101-14 Mgt, and 420 A Mgt).

Recognition and Legacy

The collaboration between de Grasset and Millardet demonstrated an ideal balance between 19th-century university science and advanced agricultural practice. The rootstocks they developed not only saved European vineyards from destruction but also laid the groundwork for modern rootstock-scion zoning. For his outstanding contribution to rescuing French viticulture, Charles de Grasset was awarded gold medals by agricultural societies and specialized national commissions.