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: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure , 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 and War is a fun and inspiring read. It is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the French and to their love of wine.

Tom Allan is VP of Business Development for WineSquire.com