Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
28 used & new from £2.62

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and France's Greatest Treasure
 
See larger image
 

Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and France's Greatest Treasure (Paperback)

by Donald & Petie Kladstrup (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
Price: £6.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (22%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 5 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 14? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
23 new from £2.62 4 used from £3.76 1 collectible from £5.99
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 17 used & new from £4.60
Hardcover (Large Print) 3 used & new from £5.25

Frequently Bought Together

Wine and War: The French, the Nazis and France's Greatest Treasure + Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times + Phylloxera: How Wine Was Saved for the World
Price For All Three: £28.42

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times

Champagne: How the World's Most Glamorous Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times

by Don Kladstrup
£14.44
The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine

The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine

by Benjamin Wallace
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £14.99
Phylloxera: How Wine Was Saved for the World

Phylloxera: How Wine Was Saved for the World

by Christy Campbell
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £6.99
Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution

Noble Rot: A Bordeaux Wine Revolution

by William Echikson
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £9.68
Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2009

Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book 2009

by Hugh Johnson
4.8 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Coronet; New Ed edition (4 April 2002)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340766786
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340766781
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 65,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #19 in  Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Countries > France
    #20 in  Books > Science & Nature > Food & Farming > Horticulture
    #45 in  Books > History > Europe > France

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Wine Spectator Magazine
   www.WineSpectator.com/specialoffer    No Risk Subscription. Take the hassle out of buying wine
Images of war
   www.jacar.go.jp    Free access to historical data Millions of documents and images 
  
 

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
According to Don and Petie Kladstrup in Wine & War: the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure, it was a well-known fact that Adolf Hitler did not like wine. Still, their leader's teetotalism notwithstanding, the Germans showed no distaste for French wine when they invaded France in 1940. Indeed, one of the first acts of the occupying army was to seize great stores of wine, sending tens of thousands of barrels to the Third Reich and ordering the conversion of thousands of hectares of vineyards into war production. Some French vintners, the Kladstrups write in this enjoyable study, went along with orders. Many others, however, including the heads of distinguished houses like Moe¨t et Chandon, engaged in daring and dangerous acts of resistance wherever they could. Some lied about their yields; others built false walls to hide precious vintages; and still others concocted elaborate ruses, such as sprinkling carpet dust into inferior grades of new wine to give it a musty, distinguished flavour. Not every German was fooled, and some partisans of the grape died for their troubles. But some Germans, at considerable risk to themselves, also looked the other way. The Kladstrups fill their pages with memories of the wine war from both sides of the struggle, stories sometimes sombre, sometimes amusing, that commemorate those "whose love of the grape and devotion to a way of life helped them survive and triumph over one of the darkest and most difficult chapters in French history". --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Sunday Telegraph
'Entertaining and informative'

See all Product Description

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Judged the book by the cover and loved it, 2 Oct 2002
By A Customer
I really enjoyed this book - great day-in-the-life and historical perspectives of the French and France during wartime. Particularly amusing to read about French forces determining which soldiers should attack through excellent vineyards (themselves) and which would attack through lesser ones (everyone else)...
Highly enjoyable.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Vive Les Vins Francais, 8 May 2005
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was factual and informative and despite being set in depressing times, an underlying humour and deviance is never far from the surface. The book is perfect for amateur wine buffs (like me) and amateur historians (like me) who are interested in daily life during World War Two. The ingenuity of the French was amazing but, after all, they were protecting their greatest asset. By the end of this book Vichy france does not come out too well but at least france lived to fight another day with her vineyards pretty much intact. Vive La France.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Revealing review of a small part of French resistance, 5 Jul 2008
By John Holland (Surrey, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Fascinating read about the desperate position the French vineyard owners found themselves in during the Second World War. With Nazis determined to pillage the vineyards, the owners resorted to every trick possible to protect their assets. With experience of defeating phylloxera in the 19th century and the preceding world war, the vineyard owners had developed a knack of finding ways to survive. The book describes an eclectic collection of motives and actions that helped the wine industry survive occupation.

A slight downside is the purely factual account of events. This creates a book that is somewhat disjointed in places, with little attempt to create a story that holds the piece together. Fascinating historical journalism, but more rhetoric may have added to the book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly enjoyable account the French wine industry in WW2
This is an amusing, but poignant account of how the French wine industry coped with the Nazi occupation (the telegrams from the French station master to his German superior had me... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2001 by djgasper@yahoo.co.uk

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

Discover Health & Beauty

 

Let Olay Amaze You

Olay Total Effects Day Moisturiser SPF15 50ml
Amazon.co.uk sells all your favourite ranges from Olay, including Regenerist and Total Effects.

Discover Olay at Amazon.co.uk

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates