Effect on Wine Production of WW1 ?

[SteveMarsdin]

Good afternoon All,

When I joined this Forum in August it was because of a specific interest in a tiny part of the opening encounters of WW1; although I perhaps expected it to rekindle my interest in the wider aspects the conflict nothing had prepared me for Skindles, which as well as being addictive, has unexpectedly covered many areas of practical interest [harvesting leeks in frozen ground, condensing boiler problems, Belgian drink-drive laws etc] as well as the more frivolous entries {wheeled luggage, fig rolls etc]. Today's postings have been no exception, which brings me on to.......

Whilst reading Bill's thread on expensive wine [MartH appears to have a cellar I can only dream of !] I wondered what was the effect on wine production of the Great War ? Did Champagne and Alsace produce any wines ? What about Bordeaux ? (or Moselle and the Rheinland ?). I know 1914 was a "canicule" summer which normally produces good wine but was there anyone to harvest the grapes ?

Any thoughts ?

Edit: Just realised as it's Great War related I better move it from Skindles !

[Nigel Marshall]

Steve,

I know nothing about wine production, but in Malins' Film of the preparation for the 1916 Battle of the Somme there is footage of French women working the land, supposedly only a mile behind the firing line.

I know to an Englishman the idea of food production would seem to be of more importance than that of wine, but to the French I am quite sure that it would take on a completely different balance and that wine was as important as the other staples. The French did, after all have a wine ration, and the estaminets had, for the most part, plentiful supplies of vin blonk to wash the egg and chips down with.

Whether the occupied regions or the areas affected by battles were able to produce anything - I think it would be naive to suggest production continued at pre-war rates - is a question for someone with a more specialised knowledge.

Cheers,

Nigel

[MartH]

I understand that in 1914 British regulars assisted in the picking of grapes for Moet. In 1994 IIRC correctly they opened some 1914 magnums with surviving 1914 veterans, some of which had even picked.

[SteveMarsdin]

Thanks Nigel,

I was hoping members wouldn't find it a frivolous questions at a time of such bloodshed but as you say, to the French and Germans it was what they "farmed" in these areas and part of their way of life. Away from the front I suppose the land in the majority of cases may not have been suitable to switch to food production (if it was required ?) but particularly at harvest-time it must have been very labour intensive ?

[Dragon]

This thread might interest you.

I'll have a look what I've got on my particular area of interest.

[franzmaximilian]

Thanks Nigel,

I was hoping members wouldn't find it a frivolous questions at a time of such bloodshed but as you say, to the French and Germans it was what they "farmed" in these areas and part of their way of life. Away from the front I suppose the land in the majority of cases may not have been suitable to switch to food production (if it was required ?) but particularly at harvest-time it must have been very labour intensive ?

I can't speak for France, but I know something about Italy.

I remember reading somewhere that production of most crops dropped though not dramatically. Women, kids and elder men in the countrysides had to work hard to survive, also because the privates' pay was extremely low and state contributions to the families of the fallen were also quite low. Even worst was for the families of POWs. Import of large amounts of grains increased. I never read of shortages for wine though.

Franz

[Jack Sheldon]

This must have been largely a manpower issue and perhaps affected by shortages of bottles, corks etc. Bearing in mind where the main wine growing areas are, probably the only one directly affected by military operations was the northern part of Champagne, but loads of fizz is produced between the Marne and the Aube anyway. British soldiers accounts often talk about them being overcharged whilst out of the line in estaminets, but they always seem to be eating egg and chips and drinking van blong, rather than red wine, which has always had a far larger share of the market in France. A lot of the whites consumed in France, if we exclude (naturally) those of the Moselle and Alsace, come from further south and the thin, reedy, nasty ones, which were probably being off loaded on the British come from a long way away, probably not far geographically from the ghastly reds served up at a litre a day per head to the French as their daily pinard ration and which now go to make vinegar or stock the wine lake. In other words, having rambled round the topic - that's the problem with drinking at breakfast - the war probably provided producers of vast quantities of indifferent wines to take a handy profit by meeting the needs of millions of thirsty gullets.

Jack

[SteveMarsdin]

Thank you everyone for your replies,

Gwyn: Mick's original thread covers many of the points raised and the book references sound interesting. With your expertise in Vosges/Alsace, do you know any stories from there ? I know one of the reasons that Alsace is one of the few appellations to list the grape variety on the label is supposed to be due to the Germanic influence/history.

Franz: I am sorry I omitted Italian (and other) wines in my initial question, I was focussed on Champagne and Alsace. The problems you highlight were probably common to most viticultural areas of the combatants in Europe.

Jack: Yes you're probably spot on, the south was still sending cheap "wine" North for blending (and off-loading) into the early 1980s, it is only relative recently that they moved to better quality grape varieties and methods.

Mart: Had the 1914 vintage aged/lasted well ? Were there any reports on the taste after all the years? From your previous posts you (along with several other members) undoubtedly have a great knowledge and affinity with wine, do you know of any other surviving vintages (with reputation) from the war years ?

[Andrew P]

There was a book I purchased about ten years ago I think called 'Wine & War'. From emory it was only about the effect WW2 had on the wine industry in France but I will double check to make sure.

[edwin astill]

Were they producing the stuff in Algeria at that time?

Edwin

[centurion]

Were they producing the stuff in Algeria at that time?

Edwin

yes but in relatively small quantities.

In France the 1915 production of wine in non occupied areas was more than 60% down on 1914. The decline was greatest in the south. This would suggest that lack of manpower was the main cause.

[centurion]

Just to be precise

1914 production 1,482,938,405 gallons 1915 production 478,181,870 gallons (a decrease of 1,004,756,535 gallons)

The figures are from the US commercial attache in Paris and are probably in US and not Imperial gallons

[SiegeGunner]

There was a book I purchased about ten years ago I think called 'Wine & War'. From emory it was only about the effect WW2 had on the wine industry in France but I will double check to make sure.

That's the book that inspired my earlier thread, cited in post #5 above. And yes, it's about WW2.

[gillchadwick]

Don't know whether it has anything to do with wine production .

I read in a book produced for the 60th anniversary of D.Day that during the German invasion of France in WW2 the incidences of Cirrhosis of the liver dropped dramatically amongst the French population;

Gill

[Dragon]

Wine production continued in Alsace throughout the war. 1914 was not especially affected and the wine was varied in quality from very good to some very poor examples. By 1915, the war was affecting the industry but good wines were made.

The war contined to take its toll. Because men were absent, fighting for Germany or France, women, children and old people harvested the grapes. 1916 was a dry year, causing under-ripe grapes and this brings out a second problem: because of the war, there was little sugar available for chaptalization.

Good wines were made in 1917 and poor wines in 1918. I imagine that there was some relief when 1919 was favourable for high yields and good quality wines.*

Taking this 20-odd years hence, production was sound in the early war years, but the fighting in the Colmar Gap (1944-5) wrecked the villages and the landscape. Vineyards were ruined and viticulteurs' cellars destroyed with the loss of some venerable wines. Some viticulteurs in Alsace will show you their little collections of photos and remnants if they have time and you're interested. I was shown one in Ammerschwihr last year. The village (surrounded by vineyards) was annihilated, so this viticulteur's little home museum of its old artefacts and photos of his family going about their working life was very poignant.

In my view, it's important to look back to 1871. The Great War was one event within a larger sequence of historical events. The decisive change in the region's wine-making was Alsace and Lorraine becoming German, renamed as Elsaß Lothringen and (despite what is claimed on another WW1 website) they were not formally returned to France until 1919. This is the second decisive event.

Some grape names and wine-types were given German names. Vin noble became Edelwein. Zwicker (still in use as part of a word) was used for lower quality blends. (Edelzwicker came into being after the war to distinguish a better quality blend of authorised grape varieties from a simple blend. They tried to call this better sort of blend Gentil, but it wouldn't catch on.) More importantly, some German grape varieties were planted in place of traditional vines. This meant, unfortunately, that vines were planted which were not appropriate for the different conditions in Alsace; and hybrid varieties permitted by the Germans were planted in vast numbers to the detriment of traditional vine varieties. The only way to prevent phylloxera was to graft on to phylloxera-resistant stock, but German law forbade grafting. Thus the vines in Alsace were susceptible to phylloxera and plagued by other blights, so the vineyards were spoiled. The new varieties made awful wine anyway. The hybrids had to be torn up in the 1920s.

After the Second World War, the government encouraged the setting up of co-operatives to help to restore the devastated induustry.

*Source: Alsace Clos et Grand Crus, Bernadette Burn et Gilles Schmidt

[centurion]

The infant New World and Antipodean wine industries experienced an upward blip in production 1915/16, presumably to take up the slack in their domestic markets caused by a shortage of imported French wines. Quebec for example started to produce wine commercially (only to have the industry snuffed out by Canadian prohibition).

[edwin astill]

I suppose the drop in production was compensated for by the loss of so many consumers.

Edwin

[centurion]

I suppose the drop in production was compensated for by the loss of so many consumers.

Edwin

France did not loose two thirds of her adult population which was the drop in production

[edwin astill]

France did not loose two thirds of her adult population which was the drop in production

Those lost might have consumed more than the average. Hope so, poor blighters.

Edwib

[Dragon]

I believe that those growers who were able to produce wine found a ready market in the troops. Armies have plied their troops with wine since the Romans. The Alsace wine-growing area is within close reach of the troops stationed in the Vosges and there were long periods after 1915 where it was a very quiet front.

Gwyn