French Priorities

"Near Epernay, region of the Marne, June 19, 1944:

The supreme allied commander notices that the sector of the advance controlled by the French is lagging behind the others. An intelligence officer is sent to determine the reason. He finds the entire French high command in a tent bent over a copy of the Atlas des vins de France. They are planning a route that will take them past every great vineyard in Champagne."

I don't see where that would have helped. Champagne is all aged in underground caves. Nearly all the wine is in Epernay or Rheims. Those are the only two places they would need to have visited.

-Paul W.

Nowadays there are numerous récoltants manipulants outside those two centres, who are well worth visiting, e.g. Agrapart, Selosse, Egly Ouriet....... In 1944, I think the négociants had more or less total control.