Hitler's Taste For Wines

 No, I haven't switched my theme to wine. I've just copied the title of the original newspaper article, which is about Hitler's drinking habits.

I always thought Hitler was a teetotaller. And a vegetarian. I'd always trot that one out when a vegetarian tried to tell me how much nicer they were than meat eaters. "What about Hitler, then?" was my snappy riposte.

Having read up a bit more on Hitler's dietary habits it wasn't that clear cut. He was certainly fanatically anti-smoking, that's for sure. But while apparently not having any great enthusiasm for it, he did occasionally imbibe. And his vegetarianism seems to have been a response to his bad guts rather than having an ideological basis.

"Hitler's Taste For Wines
The Japs have presented Hitler with a rare porcelain teapot, expressing the solicitous hope that " he will become addicted to the gentle habit of tea drinking in order to soothe his nerves."

As a matter of fact, Hitler always preferred Indian tea, and British brands at that, to China or anything grown in Japan. Nor is he a complete teetotaller. At the old comrade beer-cellar jamborees he used to drink one stein of lager for appearance's sake.

Now he has developed quite taste for the fine French wines, which for four years he has been able to get without paying for. Before that the only "produce of France" he favoured was, appropriately, Vichy water. "
Evening Telegraph - Wednesday 26 July 1944, page 5.

Did Hitler really drink English tea? I'm now imagining the Führerbunker stocked up with boxes of PG Tips or Twinings.

A bit of a slap in the face for Germans, Hitler preferring fancy French wine over good, honest German beer.