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Title: Wine and War : The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure by DONALD KLADSTRUP, PETIE KLADSTRUP ISBN: 0-7679-0448-6 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 30 April, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.03 (38 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Delightfully palatable
Comment: What a fascinating book. The story of the vignerons and their participation in the French Resistance during WWII is immensely palatable and its anecdotal style makes it a pleasure to read. The authors have stumbled across a rich wine and have let the reader inhale its bouquet to the full.
We hear many stories of bravery. For example, Gaston Huet, who spent most of the war in a POW camp, and his organisation of a wine celebration that covered an escape but also gave great heart to those whose horticultural life had been ripped apart by an an occupying army whose senior intent was to milk France of its greatest produce. The race to hide some of the wine regions greatest vintages from the Germans provides some of occupied Frnace's most amusing and fearful stories. We gain an insight to life under the occupation, the food shortages experienced, and the daily dangers, but, above all, we understand the sense of unity that developed amongst those seeking to preserve France's greatest treasure.
Through the stories we learn of the weinfuhrers - men like Klaebisch and Gomer - who were tasked by Berlin to keep a crippling supply of wine and champagne sent to Germany, but who recognised that Goring's wish to strip France of all its wealth would leave a devastated land. These men sought to work with those remaining to produce the wine whilst suffering from the increasing actions of the Resistance who destroyed and stole many shipments of wine and food - the constant letters of Henri Galliard testify to this. Amidst the stories of a people struggling to survive and preserve the great wines of France we see how it played a greater part in the war - for example, large orders to ship to certain fronts indicated where German offensives would commence - right up to the preservation of Paris when the German's left. The only item they destroyed was a wine storage facility.
The authors have combined to produce a lively popular history of France's wine regions during WWII and it anecdotal style makes this a pleasure to read. Immensely fascinating.
Rating: 4
Summary: INTERESTING, MORE INSPIRATION THAN HISTORY
Comment: The story of the French resistance to protect the wine is a very interesting one, well told by the authors of this book. It is clear that the amount of research involved is extraordinary, and the authors do a good job of transmitting to the reader the deep feelings and history involved.
One major comment is that the whole sotry is mainly focused on WWII, making the title "WINE AND WAR" somewhat misleading. As a piece of history, this is not very additive to the history of WWII. The French Resistance has its history well documented, and this is only a portion of its activities. There is some lack of connection between the individual stories and the actual political and military developments of the war, making the stories interesting but disconnected.
Overall, this is a great book if you are a wine enthusiast or if you want somehting to read over a 10 hour flight, but if you are a pure historian, look elsewhere.
Rating: 5
Summary: Of patriotism and wine
Comment: This book was an unexpected delight! The truth of the exploits of the French to save their wine, their livelihood, and their country's identity during the Nazi Occupation of WWII is told from very individual perspectives. We learn of winemakers struggling to keep their vineyards alive despite a shortages of able-bodied men and copper sulfate, trampling by troops, blackouts, droughts, and raiding Nazi soldiers. even if your knowledge of wine is minimal, names like Chateau Lafite-Rothschild and Moet are likely to ring a bell. To understand the struggles that these families endured and often overcame becomes very real and understandable in the writings of the authors. The human toll of war as well as the economic costs are played against the unflagging spirit of the people and their love of the land, the wine, and their country. Not only is this a great story of wine and war but of patriotism as well. It has been convenient to belittle the French in recent times relative to their attitude about war, but this book reminds us that they endured something we were fortunate never to have to deal with -- enemy occupation and the resultant destruction and demoralization.
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Title: Adventures on the Wine Route : A Wine Buyer's Tour of France by Kermit Lynch ISBN: 0374522669 Publisher: Noonday Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 1990 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Napa: The Story of an American Eden by James Conaway ISBN: 0618257985 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 24 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Far Side of Eden: New Money, Old Land, and the Battle for Napa Valley by James Conaway ISBN: 0618067396 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company Pub. Date: 24 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew by Peter Mayle ISBN: 0375705619 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 09 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Making Sense of Wine by Matt Kramer ISBN: 0762415797 Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers Pub. Date: 05 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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