A hospital that owns some of the best vineyards in Burgundy. Our wine guide Tracy from Burgundy by Request (highly recommended) had read and enjoyed the book, so we were able to discuss some of these sites as we drove from town to town.īurgundy: Hospice de Beaune. Here is a Google Map to save you the trouble of writing down the addresses and directions yourself. On my recent travels through Burgundy and Alsace, I brought along my copy of Wine & War and was able to make quite a few connections with the book. In many cases, the winemakers even had to fight for their lives.

Their stories are triumphant and gripping, often involving deceit, risk and resistance in their battles to save their family legacies from theft and ruin by the Germans. These are still some of the most prominent wine producers in France today. Wine & War focuses on four French winemaking families: The Drouhins in Burgundy, the Hugels in Alsace, the owners of Lauren-Perrier in Champagne, and the Miaihles in Bordeaux. It makes a perfect companion for a wine tour in France. And if like me, you like both, it’s a must read. It makes for fascinating reading whether your interest is in history or more toward the wine. Don & Petie Kladstrup’s book Wine & Wartells the story of how some of these families survived the two great wars of the 20th century. Some French families have been making wine for dozens of generations. More than anywhere else, the story of French winemaking is a lesson in history and tradition. Wine and history pair up well together, especially in France.

Wine and War by Don Kladstrup