Quick Book Review

Over the past week I finished Don and Petie Kladstrup's Wine and War. This book came highly recommended by many people we talked with in Oregon on the last wine excursion. The book itself sis not disappoint. It's a collection tales that tell of how the Nazi's attempted to plunder France's greatest asset, her wine. Things get interesting when the French go to great lengths to protect what they felt the Germans wouldn't appreciate. Hiding wine consisted of building new walls to block off hidden cellars, weighting cases to the bottom of the pond, or burying bottles in the garden. There was also the sabotage of shipments bound for Berlin and the Resistance using Champagne's underground maze of cellars as a impromptu headquarters. The book mainly follows individual story lines and how each one had varying effects on the war and the wine industry. The authors also examine how each major region was affected how the vineyards dealt with the occupation and eventual liberation. As a wine lover, as well as history lover, this book blended two of my favorites into an enthralling tale of determination, intelligence and heroism.