Wine And War: The French, The Nazis And The Battle For France's Greatest Treasure Part 27

x> DORYPh.o.r.eS potato bugs, or Colorado potato beetles, probably brought to Europe in s.h.i.+pments from America in the 1930s. Came to be a derogatory term for German soldiers.

x> DOSAGE the sugar syrup made from champagne wine and sugar that is added to champagne before its final corking. The amount added determines the sweetness of the champagne. The drier the champagne, the smaller the dosage used.

x> EAU-DE-SANTENAY a laxative; purgative water.

x> EAU-DE-VIE literally, water of life, but the generic name for distilled spirits, including brandy.

x> FEUILLES MORTES literally, dead leaves; used to describe the traditional color of bottles for Burgundy wine, a brownish-green color.

x> FROGS a derogatory name for the French.

x> GOLDEN ESCARPMENT see Cte d'Or.

x> GRANDS CRUS the great vineyards.

x> GRAND SIeCLE literally "great century"; the name of Bernard de Nonancourt's luxury champagne.

x> HOSPICES DE BEAUNE the charity hospital in Beaune in Burgundy, founded in 1443. The hospital is funded by the sale of wine from its vineyards, which have been donated to the Hospices by area vineyard owners through the centuries. The annual auction of its wines in November is considered an indicator of prices for the vintage.

x> INSt.i.tUT NATIONAL DES APPELLATIONS D'ORIGINE (INAO) the administrative organization for guaranteeing place of origin and quality in French wine. The organization is based in Paris, but has technical experts in each of France's wine regions.

x> MADERIZED oxidized; a condition of older wines reflecting the gradual seepage of oxygen into the bottle as the s.p.a.ce between the cork and wine increases.

x> MAIRIE French term for town or village hall.

x> MAISON DE TOLeRANCE a licensed brothel.

x> MAISON DU VIN a wine business, usually that of a wine wholesaler, who buys wine from growers and bottles it under the house's own label or who buys grapes from growers and then makes and bottles the wine. A maison du vin may also own some vineyards and make wine from those grapes under its own label.

x> MAQUIS literally, the Corsican bush. During World War II, a general term for the French Resistance, the underground.

x> "MAReCHAL, NOUS VOIL" song composed in honor of Marshal Philippe Petain, France's head of state during the Vichy years. Especially popular among children in the early years of World War II, when it was regularly sung in schools and even at religious gatherings of young people. t.i.tle means "Marshal, Here We Are."

x> MILDEW downy or false mildew that is the most ruinous of the fungal diseases that attack the vines. It originated in America and is spread by the wind, so it is difficult to contain once it attacks a vineyard. High humidity and heat are the key factors in its development. Most American vines are resistant to it, so do not have to be treated with the copper sulfate so necessary to the French vineyards.

x> MONUMENT AUX MORTS a monument to the war dead of a community. In France every village, no matter how small, has one, usually bearing names of more victims of World War I than of World War II. Soldiers who died in battle are those who are mort pour la France, died for France.

x> MUST grape juice before it ferments completely and becomes wine.

x> NACHT UND NEBEL German for Night and Fog, but also the term the Third Reich used to designate prisoners it did not want to survive, that it wanted worked to death. They were to disappear within the system, buried in ma.s.s and/or unmarked graves, with no information given to families.

x> NARQUER DES ALLEMANDS to taunt or make fun of the Germans.

x> NeGOCIANTS wholesale wine merchants who buy wine and/or grapes in quant.i.ty from growers and resell the wine. If they buy grapes, they will make the wine and sell it under the house's name. Prior to World War II, they also bottled most of the wine they bought, frequently selling it with the name of the maker on the bottles. This was particularly so in Bordeaux where most of the chteaux did not begin bottling on the property until after World War II.

x> OFLAG IV D the German prisoner-of-war camp for French officers in Silesia in Germany where Gaston Huet and more than 4,000 others were held for the five years of World War II.

x> OIDIUM powdery or true mildew, another fungal disease of the vines which came to Europe from America. Finely ground sulfur is used to combat it.

x> PANZERMILCH the derogatory term for the soy beverage prisoners of war got in camps instead of coffee or tea. Literally, panzer milk, the panzers being the German tanks that so effectively routed the French in 1940.

x> PHONY WAR the period between when war was declared (September 3, 1939) and when fighting actually began (May 10, 1940). Known in French as le drle de guerre.

x> PHYLLOXERA a burrowing plant louse that destroyed the vineyards of France at the end of the nineteenth century. Another import from America, but the cure also came from America when native American vine rootstock was found to be resistant to the louse. All French vines had to be ripped up and burned, with new vines grafted onto the American rootstock.

x> PIQUETTE wine made by adding water to the already pressed skins and husks of grapes. It is very low in alcohol and is usually given to vineyard workers as a daily ration. Also used as a derogatory name for any bad wine.

x> RUE street x> ST. VINCENT the patron saint of French winemakers. His feast day is celebrated near January 24. He was chosen as the winemakers' patron saint because the first syllable of his name is the French word for wine, vin. For winegrowers, there is one other point in his favor: January is about the only month when there is almost no work to be done in the vineyards; hence they can take the time to celebrate. This they usually do with a procession to the church, then a ma.s.s where the local priest blesses the wine and the statue of the saint is pa.s.sed to the winegrower who will look after it for the coming year.

x> SERVICE DU TRAVAIL OBLIGATOIRE (STO) the forced labor program set up by Vichy in 1942 to meet German demands for labor. It did more to recruit members for the Resistance than anything else. Those called up for STO generally preferred to go into hiding with the Maquis than to go to Germany to work for the Third Reich.

x> TERROIR all the natural conditions influencing the vine and the grape (climate, soil, landscape).

x> TOUR D'ARGENT, LA one of Paris's best-known and oldest restaurants, especially famous for its duck. A favorite with German officers based in Paris during World War II. Owned then, as now, by the Terrail family.

x> TReS ANCIENNE literally, very old. Old-fas.h.i.+oned.

x> TRICOLORE literally, three-colored. The French flag with its wide stripes of blue, white and red.

x> VIGNERONS winegrowers.

x> VIN CHAUD DU SOLDAT literally, hot wine for soldiers, usually served at special canteens during the winter months. Considered a preventative against disease during cold weather. Kits for making hot wine were also sent to soldiers at the front lines.

x> VIN ORDINAIRE literally, ordinary wine. Common wine with nothing special about it, drunk with routine meals at home.

x> VINIFICATION winemaking.

x> WEINFHRERS a German-sounding word made up by the French to designate the men sent by the n.a.z.is to buy French wine and oversee its distribution.

x>.

Acknowledgments.

This book would never have been written, and certainly never finished, if it had not been for some very special people.

Among them, Gerry Holmes of ABC News and Jennifer Ludden of National Public Radio, who kept insisting we had to do it and who put us in touch with the people who helped make it happen.

One of those was their friend Stefan Fatsis, a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and the author of two books. "The best thing you can do," Stefan told us, "is get in touch with my agent, Robert Shepard." He was right. Robert has been far more than an agent. He is a friend, an advisor and a good shoulder to cry on when words and ideas are not lining up in the right order. He is, in fact, a very good shepherd.

Plus, he steered us to Charles Conrad, vice president and executive editor of Broadway Books. Charlie is a man who exercised the patience of Job and had the courage to let us "do our thing," even when we were not exactly sure what that thing was. His a.s.sistant, Becky Cole, ran interference for us over and over again. Broadway copy chief, Harold Grabau, saved us from ourselves more times than we can count. We thank them all.

None of them, however, would have had anything to work on if it had not been for John Lally, who kept us on line and in line as we struggled with new computers. Without John, we would still be using the quills that fall off the ducks in our pond.

Others we would like to thank include James Lawther, Master of Wine, for his advice and ideas; Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, whose help is as graceful as their writing; Marie Carnot and Yves Fernique, who plied us with good wine and stories about the war when our energies were flagging; Cristel Kucharz and her family, as well as Renate Gozlan, who translated some nearly illegible letters from Old German to very clear English.

Then there is Leslie MacBee, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer who decided to buy an old station master's house in Burgundy as a vacation retreat. When he cleaned the closets, Henri Gaillard's logbooks tumbled out and with them, a rare glimpse of what working for the n.a.z.is was like. Thanks, Les.

Our friend Doug Tunnell, who gave up the life of a foreign correspondent for CBS News to make wine at Brick House Vineyard in Oregon, did not leave behind his nose for news. When he heard Philippe Drouhin talk about his grandfather, Maurice, Doug called us and introduced us to the Drouhins. Doug has continued to be a wonderful supporter, and has he ever poured some great wine for us! (Does this ent.i.tle us to another gla.s.s or so, Doug?) Debby Leff took part of her vacation to read the ma.n.u.script with a kind but critical eye, and gave us a boost when we needed it most.

Others who helped facilitate our work were Pascale Doussot at Maison Joseph Drouhin, Nicole Snozzi-Arroyo at Domaine Laurent-Perrier, Christine Ria.s.sa and Sophie Ferrer at Chteau Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande, and Marie-Jose Baudoin at Maison Louis Latour. They took innumerable phone calls from us, responded to hundreds of our requests and remained good-humored and helpful throughout.

All of the wine people we have talked to, written to and called have been marvelous. They shared their time, their memories and their lives with us. Among them, the late Peter A. Sichel of Chteau Palmer, and his cousin Peter M. S. Sichel of Chteau Fourcas-Hosten, Jacques Chevignard of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, Louis Latour of Maison Louis Latour, wine writer and consultant Steven Spurrier of Decanter magazine, wine consultant David Cobbold, champagne maker Andre Seconde, Champagne historian Colonel Franois Bonal, Henri Brunier of Domaine Vieux Telegraph, Professor Claude Chapuis of the University of Dijon, Richard Dumbrill, the British Consul in Champagne, Burgundy winemaker Philippe Engel, writer Nicholas Faith, the late Andre Gagey of Maison Louis Jadot, Anthony Barton of Chteaux Leoville- and Langoa-Barton, Herve Berland of Chteau Mouton-Rothschild, Bernard Pauzie of the World War II museum in Vraux, Christian Pol-Roger of Champagne Pol Roger, and German wine importers Heinz Bmers Jr. and Hermann Segnitz.

Several friends have observed that the people we focused on as princ.i.p.al characters are established stars of the French wine community. They are correct, but that was not how we planned it.

Our goal was to find people with stories to tell, people who were willing to share some of their most personal, and sometimes painful, memories. Today, it is true that Huet, Drouhin, de Lencquesaing, Miailhe, de Nonancourt and Hugel are famous names. But when World War II began, they were not. They were small businesses, typical of so many in France's wine community who were just trying to survive. How these people managed to do that is what caught our attention. We are grateful to all of them.

To May-Eliane Miailhe de Lencquesaing, who invited us to Chteau Pichon-Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande. There on the terrace, she read to us from a diary she kept as a young girl during the war, pa.s.sages that helped us understand what life was like under the occupation.

To her cousin, Jean Miailhe of Chteau Coufran, who vividly ill.u.s.trated to us the danger of defiance as he described how he built a secret laboratory for making copper sulfate.

To Robert and Franoise Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin, who opened their hearts as well as their home to us. They went far beyond what we asked them to do by introducing us to others who lived through the war, and by searching out letters and historical doc.u.ments that greatly enhanced our story.

To Bernard de Nonancourt of Domaine Laurent-Perrier, who reminded us that enthusiasm and patriotism are not only for the young. His spirit is as effervescent as the wonderful champagne he makes.

To Gaston Huet, who started us on this long journey several years ago. He has the rare gift of making time stand still and yet come alive. You have only to taste one of his wines to know that.

To the Hugels of Riquewihr: to Andre, whose keen sense of history helped us appreciate the unique circ.u.mstances of Alsace; to his brother Johnny, whose unflagging enthusiasm always made us feel welcome; and to their brother Georges, whose harrowing account of serving in Hitler's army made us shudder. His courage left us in awe.

It is impossible to exaggerate Georges's generosity and his willingness to put up with our constant questions and phone calls, even in the face of a serious illness. On one memorable occasion, he asked emergency medical personnel, who had just arrived to take him to the hospital, to wait so he could talk to us. We were incredibly embarra.s.sed and apologized for bothering him with what was "a stupid question." Georges quickly replied, "No, no, go ahead. There's no such thing as a stupid question. Better to ask it while I am still alive." That was in the summer of .

Georges died two months later.

There are two people we do not know how to begin to thank, dear friends who were with us from the very start, long before we were sure we had a book to write.

In fact, this book might never have been written had it not been for Kim and Anne Munholland. It was a collaborative effort in the best sense of the word. Kim, a professor of modern European history at the University of Minnesota and an expert on France during World War II, was unstinting in sharing his knowledge and expertise with us.

Essential to that process was the generous financial and inst.i.tutional support extended by the University of Minnesota Graduate School. Thanks to a series of grants, Kim was able to travel to the Library of Congress in Was.h.i.+ngton, D.C., as well as to archives and libraries in France. His research carried him to Paris, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. He spent long and often frustrating hours digging through records, files and books, pouring through hundreds of reels of microfilm for information that was vital to our book. Without his dogged persistence, we would never have known about Roger Ribaud, whose prison memoir was all but lost in the mountain of paper at France's Bibliotheque Nationale. Nor would we have discovered the details of Louis Eschenauer's arrest and trial, an event many in France still refuse to discuss. Given its sensitive nature, it is not surprising that many of the doc.u.ments relating to Uncle Louis were "misplaced," put in files that had little or nothing to do with Eschenauer or his trial. But Kim managed to find them, along with many other things-doc.u.ments, photos, old newspaper clippings-all of which helped shed light on a period of French history that only now is beginning to be openly discussed in France.

His work, however, went far beyond that. He also held our collective hand, answering questions over and over again until we gained a proper perspective and began to understand the myriad of dramas that were being played out under the n.a.z.i occupation. (One more question, Kim. How did you put up with all of our "softball" questions?) Anne, who is Kim's editor, was equally patient. She applied her careful eye to our ma.n.u.script repeatedly, asking questions, making suggestions and drawing up a list for the Glossary. Most of all, perhaps, she kept us honest. Any errors that may exist are ours, and ours alone.

Together, Anne and Kim helped a.s.sure that Wine and War would become a reality. They traveled vineyards with us, conducted interviews and provided encouragement to us every step of the way. When things were going well, they were our biggest cheerleaders. When we felt discouraged, they would not let us quit.

But they were much more than collaborators or consultants. They were friends, and we could not have done this without them.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS.

Don and Petie Kladstrup are writers who divide their time between Paris and Normandy, France. Don is a former television news correspondent and the recipient of numerous awards for his work overseas. His wife, Petie, a former protocol officer for the U.S. amba.s.sador to UNESCO, is a freelance writer who has written widely about France and French life. When they are not writing, the Kladstrups are busy restoring an eighteenth-century farm and replanting an orchard with rare varieties of apples that are in danger of extinction. From time to time, they also take in a wine auction or two in the countryside. They are the parents of two daughters.

PRAISE FOR.

Wine and War.

"As exciting and interesting and pleasurable as wine itself."

-Robert Mondavi, Chairman Emeritus, The Robert Mondavi Winery "A fine and even subtle parable of the marriage of convenience to which the French consented during the occupation."

-Was.h.i.+ngton Post.

"This book tells the intriguing story of how the French devoted the same tenacity to saving their great wines from the n.a.z.is as they did to safeguarding the treasures of the Louvre. An incredible tale."

-Dominique Lapierre, coauthor of Is Paris Burning?

"Crammed with colorful and arresting anecdotes that will be of interest to wine lovers and World War II buffs alike."

-Newark Star-Ledger.

"Excellent."

-Wine Enthusiast.

"A story not only of resistance but discreet collaboration, of heroism and enlightened commercial self-interest. The authors detail the ingenious efforts of French wine makers to preserve their industry."

-The Times (London).

"Fast-moving and emotionally charged . . . Read this and you'll never think of French wine the same way again."

-Wine & Spirits.

end.