page_title: Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers
section_title: Pinard of the poilus
hierarchical_section_title: Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers / End of the overproduction crisis / Pinard of the poilus
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Le salut au Père Pinard
context_page_description: The Revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers was a mass movement in 1907 in Languedoc and the Pyrénées-Orientales of France that was repressed by the government of Georges Clemenceau.
  It was caused by a serious crisis in winemaking at the start of the 20th century.
  The movement was also called the "paupers revolt" of the Midi.
  It was marked by the fraternization of the 17th line infantry regiment with the demonstrators in Béziers.
context_section_description: The chronic overproduction was first absorbed by the poilus (common soldiers) of World War I (1914–18).
  Until then, wine was not part of the soldier's routine in time of peace or war. 
  Army regulations said, "Water is the normal drink of soldiers".
  In October 1914 the Intendance militaire warned that in the long war that was expected a ration of wine should be added to improve life of the ordinary soldier in the trenches.
  This was the origin of Père Pinard, a very mediocre wine with little or no taste".
  Since this was the army the pinard of the poillu was a blend of low-grade red wines such as Maconnais, Beaujolais or Charentes with large amounts of wine from Languedoc-Roussillon, Algeria and Tunisia. The only goal was to reach 9° alcohol.
  Every soldier received a quarter of a liter of wine each day, which was relatively easy to supply given the abundant harvest of 1914. 
  In January 1916 Parliament recognized that this ration was not enough, and doubled it.
  That year, after the Battle of Verdun, Jean Richepin wrote, "In the glasses of peasants, as well as in chalices touched with a trembling hand, let them drink the pinard of the poilus, poured by our silent canteens and paid as much as possible for the benefit of widows and orphans in France".
  The pinard was therefore invested with a triple mission, sustain morale while contributing to victory and national unity.
  The half-liter ration was increased in January 1918 to three quarters of a liter per day.
  The demand from the army was therefore enormous, and in 1918 it requisitioned a third of the French harvest, including colonies. 
  The requisitioned wine was left with the producers for storage and withdrawn according to military needs.
  In return, the winemaker or wine cooperative received a bonus of twenty centimes per 100 liters per month.
  From the cellars the wine was sent to large regional warehouses in Béziers, Sète, Carcassonne, Lunel and Bordeaux. 
  From there it was sent to the storage tanks in the rear of the front, replenished every two days. 
  Each convoy carried an average of 400,000 liters. 
  Immediately packaged in barrels, the pinard was then shipped by train and truck to the front.
  The massive supply of wine to the troops had the effect of increasing alcoholism in this generation of men. 
  After 1918 there was again overproduction in the vineyards. 
  It was partly offset by an increase in wine consumption that lasted until June 1940, when wartime restrictions enforced national abstinence.
caption: Salute to Father Pinard
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