Phylloxera is THE insect!
The one that attacks the vine’s roots killing them! It attacked the european vines starting from the second half of the 1800. This is why, nowadays, (almost) the all of the vines in the world are grafted on american roots, that are resistant to phylloxera.
(To discover more about it, click here)
But when did the attack happen? Please find the dates here:
France 1863
Portugal 1871
Spain 1878
Spain (Rioja) 1901
California 1873
Switzerland 1874
Germany 1875
Australia 1877
New Zealand 1885
South Africa 1885
Peru 1888
Greece 1898
Source: Tenzingws.com