 Wine &
War:
The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure
By Tom Allan
If Americans were ever faced with the prospect of
occupation by a foreign power, their paramount concern would
probably not be protecting the contents of their cellar. But
for many French citizens in 1940, protecting their cellars was the
top priority after insuring the safety of their families.
Wine and War, by Don and Petie Kladstrup, follows the lives of a
number of winemakers, negociants, and German “weinfuhrers” through
the difficult years of German occupation and Vichy governance.
Many of the top officials in the Third Reich were either wine
collectors or wine merchants. This had good and bad consequences.
Men like Goring and Hitler wanted to strip France of its most
valuable and precious wines. Goring’s motives stemmed from gluttony,
Hitler’s from vengeance and greed. The initial result was widespread
looting by the occupying forces.
What later followed was an interesting commercial environment
dominated by men sent by Hitler to buy (and sometimes take) wine for
Germany. These men were called weinfuhrers. Germany chose men with
closes contacts in the French wine trade to serve in these roles.
This had an unanticipated consequence. Many of the chosen merchants
were not particularly sympathetic to the nazis, but were keenly
aware of the value of preserving their commercial ties to the French
wine industry. Some did continue in the business after the war, and
at least one bought a Chateau in the postwar years.
What happened to such houses as Mouton-Rothschild, Lafite-Rothschild,
Moet & Chandon and Lanson during the war? You can find out in Wine &
War. Each page is full of stories about intentionally mislabeled
wine, false walls in caves, and sabotage. Winemakers even smuggled
resistance fighters from the unoccupied zone into the occupied zone
in empty wine barrels. There are two accounts of French citizens
harboring downed American pilots, in one case they were even kept
under the same roof as German soldiers.
Wine & War is a fun and inspiring read. It is a testament to the
indomitable spirit of the French and to their love of wine.
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