Sick wine

Popular name for wines that were formerly prescribed for various diseases and ailments, although the actual effect was often not given. One of the oldest wines which has been said to have healing properties is the famous sweet wine Commandaria from the island of Cyprus. Many of the ancient authors praised the generally positive effects and healing power of wine. Depending on its use, there were names such as blood wine, childbed wine, strength wine, medicinal wine and fortifying wine. All these and similar names were banned by a decree of the Prussian Ministry of the Interior in 1912, because by their very nature they were subject to much abuse. A dictum in the Middle Ages was "Frankenwein is sick wine". This was based on the alleged fact that the number of people suffering from cholera and plague in Franconia was very low in comparison to other areas. However, it is possible that this is also connected with the two famous wine-growing Würzburg hospital estates Bürgerspital and Juliusspital.

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Sick wine

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