Summary of Don & Petie Kladstrup's Wine and War

Everest Media

Description

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.
Sample Book Insights:
#1 The French were again faced with the agonizing prospect of trying to get their harvest in before their vineyards were turned into battlefields. The government mounted an extraordinary campaign to help them.
#2 The winemaking families in France were extremely worried about another war, and many thought that France could not afford to lose another war. But Maurice Drouhin, a veteran of trench warfare, escaped physical injury but not the nightmares that haunted him for years afterward.
#3 The life of a grape grower was one of legend and myth. It was a life that had changed little since the Middle Ages. The harvest was the happiest time of the year, as workers gathered wildflowers to decorate the cart and make a bouquet for the lady of the house.
#4 The Great Depression struck France just as the wine industry was recovering from the effects of phylloxera, a tiny insect that attacks the roots of grapevines. The disease had spread to every vineyard in France in the nineteenth century, and it took many years for growers to find a cure.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History
• France
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Everest Media LLC
• Date de parution: 18 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798822544260
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Insights on Don & Petie Kladstrup's Wine and War
Contents Insights from Chapter 1 Insights from Chapter 2 Insights from Chapter 3 Insights from Chapter 4 Insights from Chapter 5 Insights from Chapter 6 Insights from Chapter 7 Insights from Chapter 8 Insights from Chapter 9 Insights from Chapter 10 Insights from Chapter 11
Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The French were again faced with the agonizing prospect of trying to get their harvest in before their vineyards were turned into battlefields. The government mounted an extraordinary campaign to help them.

#2

The winemaking families in France were extremely worried about another war, and many thought that France could not afford to lose another war. But Maurice Drouhin, a veteran of trench warfare, escaped physical injury but not the nightmares that haunted him for years afterward.

#3

The life of a grape grower was one of legend and myth. It was a life that had changed little since the Middle Ages. The harvest was the happiest time of the year, as workers gathered wildflowers to decorate the cart and make a bouquet for the lady of the house.

#4

The Great Depression struck France just as the wine industry was recovering from the effects of phylloxera, a tiny insect that attacks the roots of grapevines. The disease had spread to every vineyard in France in the nineteenth century, and it took many years for growers to find a cure.

#5

Until then, French winemaking had been haphazard and instinctive. There were few rules, and winemakers used sugar as a crutch to pick their grapes too early. But AOC embraced more than just geography. It stipulated which vines could be planted, how they had to be pruned, and what fertilizers and chemicals could be used.

#6

In 1935, Drouhin and other winemakers created the Comité National des Appellations d’Origine, or INAO, the governing body of French wine. Many growers, however, even those who were inclined to support the INAO, resisted at first, fearing it could work to their disadvantage by forcing them to pay more taxes or set their prices too high.

#7

Marie-Louise, however, was not discouraged. She was thrilled to buy the winery, and she poured her life’s savings into buying it. She was convinced that if war happened, France and its allies would win.

#8

In France, the harvest of 1939 was as bad as everyone feared. The grapes were unripe, and the wines were mediocre. In the years following World War I, Maurice Drouhin had stayed in close contact with his army friends, and he was sometimes asked by the French government to accompany an army delegation to America to pressure Washington to end its isolation.

#9

In France, the wine growers were beginning to worry about the vulnerability of their stocks of wine. They decided to try to protect at least some of it, especially their complete stock of Romanée-Conti from 1929 through 1938, which they felt represented their security.

#10

The Hugels were Alsatian, and they constantly had to switch between being French and German. They were afraid that this would be their last Christmas as French citizens.

#11

In the summer of 1939, the Miailhes received an unexpected visit from some Jewish friends from Italy. They said the Italian government was chasing Jews away and that they didn’t know what was going to happen.

#12

France was fully prepared for war, but behind the scenes, there were many who felt that their leaders were spending more time playing politics than preparing for war.

#13

The French government was extremely hesitant to adopt the offensive strategy advocated by de Gaulle, who had read the German commander’s books and was incorporating his ideas into the German army.