Petie Kladstrup – författare

The remarkable untold story of France’s courageous, clever vinters who protected and rescued the country’s most treasured commodity from German plunder during World War II."To be a Frenchman means to fight for your country and its wine." –Claude Terrail, owner, Restaurant La Tour d’ArgentIn 1940, France fell to the Nazis and almost immediately the German army began a campaign of pillaging one of the assets the French hold most dear: their wine. Like others in the French Resistance, winemakers mobilized to oppose their occupiers, but the tale of their extraordinary efforts has remained largely unknown–until now. This is the thrilling and harrowing story of the French wine producers who undertook ingenious, daring measures to save their cherished crops and bottles as the Germans closed in on them. Wine and War illuminates a compelling, little-known chapter of history, and stands as a tribute to extraordinary individuals who waged a battle that, in a very real way, saved the spirit of France.From the Trade Paperback edition.

The dramatic, untold story of Eugénie de Montijo, the woman who created haute couture, fought for women’s rights, opened France’s schools to girls and ruled the country as its last empress, yet today remains almost unknown.Although a nineteenth-century woman, her almost twenty-first century outlook was key to the creation of modern France. Viewed frequently as a mere “ornament of the throne” of her husband, Emperor Napoléon III, this Spanish-born aristocrat proved to be almost as fiery as her red hair, fighting against institutional limitations, establishing innovations in childcare and women’s health, scientific research and education, battling anti-Semitism and “sex prejudice,” all the while displaying a political acumen so sharp that her husband gave her sole control of the government during his absences and consulted her daily when he was home. But the triumphs and glamour of her life were coupled with heartbreak and tragedy.This first definitive American biography of Eugénie restores her far-reaching legacy to history.

A New York Times Best Wine Book of 2021Champagne Charlie tells the story of a dashing young Frenchman, Charles Heidsieck, who introduced hard-drinking Americans to champagne in the mid-nineteenth century and became famously known as Champagne Charlie. Ignoring critics who warned that America was a dangerous place to do business, Heidsieck plunged right in, considering it “the land of opportunity” and succeeding there beyond his wildest dreams. Those dreams, however, became a nightmare when the Civil War erupted and he was imprisoned and nearly executed after being charged with spying for the Confederacy.Only after the Lincoln administration intervened was Heidsieck’s life saved, but his champagne business had gone bankrupt and was virtually dead. Then, miraculously, Heidsieck became owner of nearly half the city of Denver, the fastest-growing city in the West. By selling the land, Heidsieck was eventually able to resurrect his business to its former glory.For all its current-day glamour, effervescence, and association with the high life, champagne had a lackluster start. It was pale red in color, insipid in taste, and completely flat. In fact, champagne-makers, including the legendary Dom PÉrignon, fought strenuously to eliminate bubbles. Champagne’s success can be traced back to King Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour, Napoleon Bonaparte, countless wars and prohibitions, and, most important to the United States, Charles Heidsieck.Champagne Charlie tells the history of champagne and the thrilling tale of how the go-to celebratory drink of our time made its way to the United States, thanks to the controversial figure of Heidsieck.

Dieses unbekannte Kapitel der jüngsten Geschichte handelt vom Mut und der Phantasie der Franzosen, ihre wertvollsten Weine vor der deutschen Besatzung zu retten: Eisenbahner ließen ganze Züge mit Weinlieferungen im Nichts verschwinden. Eine Teppichreinigungsfirma versorgte die Pariser Sommeliers mit dem notwendigen Staub, um jungen Wein als uralte Raritäten den deutschen »Gästen« servieren zu können. »La Tour d`Argent«, das Pariser Luxus-Restaurant, mauerte im Mai 1940 sofort 20 000 Flaschen ein, konnte aber nicht verhindern, daß 80 000 Flaschen beschlagnahmt und abtransportiert wurden.Für Göring ließ man falsch etikettierten Mouton-Rothschild liefern, aus der Champagne kam »sprudelndes Spülwasser«, wofür François Taittinger ins Gefängnis wanderte. Erzählt wird die Geschichte des deutschen Offiziers Heinz Stahlschmidt, der nicht den Hafen von Bordeaux, wo Millionen von Weinflaschen lagerten, sondern ein deutsches Sprengstoffdepot in die Luft jagte.Don & Petie Kladstrup haben Winzer und Widerstandskämpfer veranlaßt, ihre Geschichte authentisch, ungeschminkt, phantasievoll und mutig zu erzählen.