Wine and war: Burgundy wine production and consumption during World War I

ABSTRACT

It took French vineyards at least 30 years to recover after the phylloxera crisis which started hitting the country in 1863. The restoration included a glut and winegrower rebellions. When World War I (WWI) dragged on, consumption kept rising in the trenches. In the vineyards, production was made difficult because the experienced workers were sent to the frontlines of the war. The experienced workforce was replaced by inexperienced women, children, the elderly and prisoners of war. There was a lack of horses and basic chemical products such as sulfur and copper needed for wine production. To assist the inexperienced workers, the magazine Le Progrès Agricole et Viticole provided advice to those who were tending the vineyards. Likewise, soldiers like Jean-Baptiste Roux sent letters with practical advice to their wives who were managing the vineyards. Demand on the frontlines kept increasing and wine requisitions had a positive effect on the wine trade. However, the wine soldiers drank in the trenches was often a poor-quality product and drunkenness and alcoholism rose.

KEYWORDS:

• Burgundy
• war
• wine
• WWI
• poilus

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Benoît Lecat

Benoît LECAT is currently Head of the Wine and Viticulture Department at California Polytechnic State University in the USA. He was Professor of Marketing in the School of Wine and Spirits Business, ESC Dijon/Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France but also Visiting Professor in different universities including HEC Genève, HEC Lausanne and UNESCO Department in Inter-cultural and Inter-Religious Exchanges at the University of Bucharest. His research has focused on management of luxury goods, fine wines and spirits with a specific interest on price premium, price determinants, m-commerce, scarcity, terroir and tourism. He was co-organizing with Joëlle Brouard the International Conference on Innovation & Trends in Wine Management (ITWM) held in Dijon. He is teaching courses relevant to the wine industry such as Wine Strategic Marketing and Global Wine and Viticulture.

Claude Chapuis

Claude Chapuis is Professor in the School of Wine and Spirits Business, Burgundy School of Business in Dijon, France. Expert in viticulture and many topics linked to wine and culture. He worked many years as wine-grower in Burgundy, California, Australia, New Zealand, South-Africa, and in the Mosel Valley in Germany. He wrote many books and articles on wine with a specific focus on History, viticulture and Burgundy. His last book was on Sustainable Viticulture: The Vines and Wines of Burgundy published at Apple Academic Press in August 2017.

Marianne McGarry Wolf

Marianne McGarry Wolf is a Professor of Food and Wine Business at California Polytechnic State. Dr. Wolf earned her B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University in Economics. She teaches Branded Wine Marketing, Marketing Research, Wine Business Strategies, Agribusiness Marketing Research Methods and Senior Project. In terms of research, her interests examine the factors that motivate consumers to buy a particular brand of food or wine. She has published numerous peer review journal articles, proceedings from conferences and popular press articles. She has co-authored two books on the topic of simulated test marketing and marketing new products successfully and has published numerous chapters in books, including one that won The International Organization of Vine and Wine OIV Special Mention Award in the Economics Category. Her recent publications examine generational differences in food and wine product purchasing, product positioning, consumer attitudes toward food and wine labels, awareness of sustainability and fair trade in food and wine production, product packaging, the use of social media in wine marketing, the use of technology in wine purchasing and the application of social media to enhance brand awareness. She has received many awards such as College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Faculty Award; Senior Project Advisor Award; Sunkist College of Agriculture Faculty Award (twice); Western Agricultural Services Outstanding Agribusiness Faculty Member.