2006-11-11 04:41:46 · 6 answers · asked by leigh 2 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
Let’s go back a few millennia to ancient Greece, where one of the preferred means of disposing of an unwanted political rival (or spouse) was to invite the person to share a nice meal with you and slip a little something into the wine. This happened a surprising number of times before people started to catch on and realize that they might want to think twice before imbibing. And yet, it would have been incredibly impolite not to drink what you were served. The solution to this problem was for the host to take the first drink after the wine was poured from a single bottle or decanter; if he didn’t keel over forthwith, the guests could be assured the wine was safe for them to drink too—and they ceremonially tossed back a preliminary sip from their own glasses. This, then, is the beginning of the notion of “drinking to one’s health.”
2006-11-11 05:14:18 · answer #1 · answered by carmenPI 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The term toast comes from the Roman practice of dropping a piece of burnt bread into the wine. This was done to temper some of the bad wines the Romans sometimes had to drink.
As early as the 6th Century B.C., the Greeks were toasting to the health of their friend's for a highly practical reason — to assure them that the wine they were about to drink wasn't poisoned. To spike the wine with poison, had become an all too common means of dealing with social problems.
The Romans, impressed by the Greeks in general, tended to handle their interpersonal problems similarly. It's no surprise then, that the practice of toasting was popular at Roman get-togethers as well.
Charles Panati reported that a "British duke wrote in 1803 that 'every glass during dinner had to be dedicated to someone,' and that to refrain from toasting was considered 'sottish and rude, as if no one present was worth drinking to.'
2006-11-11 07:56:54 · answer #2 · answered by Smurfetta 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I learned from the travel channel is that when you taste wine you want to envolve all of the five senses. You SEE the color of the wine, you SMELL the aroma, you TOUCH the glass, you TASTE the flavor, then for the last, you HEAR the cling of the glasses when toasting.
2006-11-11 08:59:17 · answer #3 · answered by nc_hpoa 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
gotta do something.when one is drunk.. bottle clinking gets a bit foamy though.. I would believe its a sign of respect to the other..kind of like a toast
2006-11-11 05:14:21 · answer #4 · answered by Hotdog 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a way of saying enjoy your drink. means your merry/happy i congrate you.
2006-11-11 04:54:21 · answer #5 · answered by 123nickname123 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
'Cause we all long to drink somewhere one day "...where everybody knows your name...."?
2006-11-11 04:46:49 · answer #6 · answered by LondonGRL 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋