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Wine & War – worth rereading

Henry Jeffreys

Henry Jeffreys

Monday 22 June 2026 • 1 min read

war

Wine & War book cover

A reminder of wine’s power to restore humanity, humour and hope in times of conflict.

Wine & War
The French, the Nazis, and the battle for France’s greatest treasure
Don and Petie Kladstrup
Published by Hodder in 2001
ISBN 9780340766781

In May 1942, the board of the Hospices de Beaune unanimously agreed to rename one of its vineyards in honour of Marshal Pétain, the Vichy leader. A ceremony at the end of the month christened it ‘Clos de Marechal’ and an ornate stone arch was constructed bearing Pétain’s symbol: ‘a Frankish axe combined with a marshal’s baton’. It might seem...

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