“A nomadic people”
In the Val d’Anniviers, people owned fields, meadows, woods, pastures and Alpine chalets in the mountains with vineyards, gardens and orchards on the plain. They were farmers, breeders and winegrowers. Twice a year, in spring and in autumn, most families would travel to the plains and settle in their homes in the districts of Sierre for a month or two. The hardest work in the vineyard, like floor management and pruning, was carried out at this time. Later, some members of the family would return to the plains to secure and treat the vines as well as tending to the gardens and orchards. The seasonal harvests were the reason for the second family journey. These migrations between the plains and the mountains were known in French as the remuage.
