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11 lis 2015 · Champagne and World War One: Champagne lost people, vineyards, buildings and markets as a result of vicious fighting during World War One. Don and Petie Kladstrup, writing in their book Champagne, described World War One as Champagne’s ‘darkest hour’.
The history of Champagne began when the Romans planted vineyards in this region of northeast France in the 5th century, or possibly earlier. Over centuries, Champagne evolved from being a pale, pinkish still wine to a sparkling wine.
Naturally, champagne as the national wine par excellence was used throughout the war by cartoonists whenever they wished to strike a patriotic chord. The German eagle and the Kaiser’s nose took turns in being the target of champagne corks in the French and Allied magazines.
In 1915, France’s Champagne region was the setting for two large-scale French offensives directed against German positions between Reims and the Argonne Forest. Despite enormous casualties and a massive expenditure of artillery ammunition, neither offensive succeeded in breaking the strategic deadlock of the Western Front.
World War I would be Champagne's greatest test of all, a four-year nightmare in which German bombardment drove thousands of people underground to seek refuge in the huge cellars of the champagne houses, where among the bottles you would find schools, hospitals, shops, municipal offices, and troops.--From publisher description.
2 wrz 2024 · During World War II (1939-1945), Champagne was occupied by the German army. Looting was rife, and an estimated 15-18 million bottles of Champagne were captured via official levies annually until the end of the war.
In 2003, Champagne was the first wine-growing region in the world to assess its carbon footprint. An action plan was then launched, with five main strands: viticulture and oenology, transport, buildings, responsible purchasing of goods and services and cross-cutting action.
