Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and France's Greatest Treasure (The Hungry Student) - Tapa dura

A sprightly and amusing book, full of spicy anecdotes - Evening Standard We see from Don and Petie Kladstrup's lively book that the history of the wine trade is, in many ways the history of France. - Literary Review Wine & War does not pretend to be a scholarly history of wine or the war, concentrating instead on anecdote. Some of it makes for harrowing reading as many in the trade fought back, there is plenty of cloak-and-dagger stuff too. ... a fascinating footnote. - Elizabeth Buchan, The Times For connoisseurs, both of fine wine and of tales of the French Resistance, this book will be a vintage treat. - John Ure, Times Literary Supplement An enthralling account of the bricking-up of cellars, adulterating wines ordered by the Nazis, using faulty corks and the incredible discovery by Allied troops of millions of bottles of wine stashed in Hitler's cellar...Highly recommended. - Scotsman Magazine Full of thought-provoking and well-told stories - Harpers & Queen A vibrant panorama of the different wine-producing regions and how they responded to the challenge - Sunday Express Entertaining and informative - Sunday Telegraph

In the vineyards, wine caves and cellars of France as war and occupation came to the country, winemakers acted heroically not only to save the best wines but to defend their way of life. This collection offers true stories of the vignerons who sheltered Jewish refugees in their cellars and of winemakers who risked their lives to aid the resistance. They made chemicals in secret laboratories to fuel the resistance and fled from the Gestapo when arrests became imminent. There were treacheries too, as some of the nation's winemakers supported the Vichy regime or the Germans themselves and collaborated.