We have all heard about mysterious disappearances in the infamous Bermuda triangle, but much less is known about an even greater vanishing act in what might be named the Meurthe et Moselle square, mapped out by the formidable corner posts of Champagne to the west, Burgundy to the south, Alsace to the east and German Mosel to the north. With 35,000 ha of vines in the mid 19th century, at that time a larger wine-growing region than three of its venerable neighbours, the French department of Lorraine today boasts a miserly 190 ha of vines spread over the three appellations...