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  • New mothers drank up to one litre of warm wine a day

New mothers drank up to one litre of warm wine a day

Childbirth wine is designed to help calm pain, strengthen the body, clean the uterus and rebuild blood. Humagne Blanc is the wine most often mentioned. This choice is possibly linked to the grape variety’s reputation for having three times as much iron as other grapes (a belief proven to be false by recent chemical analyses). Humagne is also a wine for important special occasions, known for its quality and ability to age well.

Warm and spicy

Childbirth wine is given in different forms. It is often taken as a warm wine with spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, honey) and aromatic herbs (hysop, herbes aromatiques (hyssop, mugwort), or as a panade (a soup with toast) for a period of one to four weeks around childbirth. The woman may drink up to one litre a day.

The custom of offering wine to women giving birth is documented from 1528 on, in Valais. Keep in mind that until the mid-20th century wine is considered an efficient remedy and a restorative.

Source: Histoire de la Vigne et du Vin en Valais, «La coupe et le vin de l’accouchée», Samuel Pont, ethnologist.

Step into the memory of the Switzerland’s largest wine region! The information that you will find on these pages comes from the book "Histoire de la vigne et du vin en Valais, des origines à nos jours", a reference work that brings together the most recent scientific discoveries about the fine wines of Valais and their rich past.

Order the book

Musée du Vin - Rue Ste Catherine 6 - 3960 Sierre | tél. +41 27 456 35 25 | contact@museeduvin-valais.ch

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  • Home
  • Exhibitions and Trail
    • Permanent exhibition
    • Current exhibition
    • Wine Trail
    • Past exhibitions
  • Events
  • “Discovery” programme
  • Schools
  • The Museum
    • Presentation and mission
    • Collections
    • Historical
    • Organization
    • Infos pratiques
  • History of wine
    • From its origins to today
    • History of grape varieties
    • Did you know?
  • Support
  • Shop
  • Media
    • Documents for media
    • Archives
    • Press rewiew
  • Information