feature / Katrina Alloway / Be of Good Cheer!


Far from home, time passes. Somehow, you are managing to get by. You start to feel a smug sense of relief. You may be that most maligned of all creatures—a tourist—but still, you are feeling your way through your foreign sojourn. And then your host suggests opening a bottle of wine. You can see it is a good one. Lucky you! Or perhaps a friendly diner at a neighboring table, in the generous spirit of wine, offers you a glass. If you are going to lip-smack your way through their offering, then attempting the host’s mother tongue for the toast is the minimum required by etiquette. Thank goodness for smartphones… Genatzt! Gān bēi! Egészségére! This exchanging of toasts and sharing of drinks shows that you have become convivial companions. Ethnographic linguist Muriel Saville-Troike explains this as an “event boundary” that is “signaled by ritual phrases.” (Another example of this is a formal introduction that transforms strangers into acquaintances: May I introduce…? / Enchanté…) These short stock expressions show that there has been a change either in your relationship or in the situation. Other toasting transition examples are the joining of two families at a wedding: We are not losing a son but gaining a daughter; the death of a loved one: To a life well lived; or seeing in a new year: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow your resolutions begin. The toasting event boundary can also be a simple


demarcation between the working day and evening socializing. There’s that infamous photograph of erstwhile British prime minister Boris Johnson raising a toast at a gathering at 10 Downing Street during the Covid pandemic summer of 2020. Arguably, the event-boundary theory gives further evidence that this was a social occasion that contravened lockdown rules and not, as Johnson claimed in his defense, a legitimate “work event.” Johnson was fined by the Metropolitan Police; he paid his dues and issued a public apology. Is it appropriate to mention a political spat like “Partygate” in an article on toasting? Absolutely it is, and we will return to the role that toasting plays in political debate, plus the other two topics in the taboo triumvirate—religion and sex—below. Fun, fun, fun! But before that, let’s further consider the habits around toasting.


From the heart, to high art


While the act of clinking and toasting is globally well established, there can still be some awkward culture clashes. In Britain, a raised glass and the person’s name or role is sufficient: To the bride… In other cultures, that may seem woefully brief or even rude. “I was shocked when I first came to the UK, and I saw people reading their toasts out at weddings. A toast should be spontaneous, even performative,” says Ketevan Japaridze, a Georgian national living in London. “It should come from the heart.” In Georgia, toasting is raised to a high art. In his estimable


book Eating to Extinction (2021), food journalist Dan Saladino describes a trip to meet winemaker Ramaz Nikoladze. After an exciting-sounding winery tour, they sit down for a supra, which translates literally as a “tablecloth,” but a more accurate cultural translation would be a combination of food, drink, and music. The toasting is led by a tamada, or “toastmaster,” named Luarsab Togonidze on this occasion, who, according to Saladino, “elevates drinking and eating to an almost sacred act.” His toasts are frequent and long. “This is to love. Love never goes out of fashion. Love never gets old. I want to drink for love in all of


130 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023


its dimensions. Every moment lived without love is wasted. With wine, food, and music, we can express love freely.” Japaridze explains the supra idea further: “It isn’t a party, it is more structured than that, and it is the tamada’s role to keep everything moving along, so food can be served and the feasting and music can continue. Usually, tamadas are male, but you do see women joining in more now. The toast might be seconded by an alaverdi, and other people may add their comments as well. It can take a long time, so the tamada keeps some control.” Having a toastmaster to keep time and order at a potentially


rowdy festive meal is a well-established ploy with a long history; even the biblical wedding at Cana was led by a master of the feast (John 2:1–12). Tom Reddy, president of the National Association of Toastmasters, explains how in Britain, dating right back to the 18th century, toastmasters would emcee guild banquets. “They had tricks to stay sober, including a special toasting glass, which looks like a normal glass, but the bowl has only a small indent, so it just holds a thimble-full of wine. It also has a thick base, for banging on the table.” Reddy also explains that another important toastmaster function is to ensure that protocol is followed. So, who takes precedence: the town mayor or a visiting dignitary with an OBE? “This can get even trickier at international events, such as town-twinning ceremonies, when you are combining two cultures. Having a qualified toastmaster who can help navigate honors systems really helps,” he says. “The red coat and regalia add gravitas, too.” Honoring a person or institution, present or otherwise, has always been one of the main functions of toasting. However, who and what is deemed worthy of this tribute is constantly evolving. The classic British loyalty toast—to the King—is no longer ubiquitous, as it was back in the early 20th century, when suffragettes were released from Holloway Prison. They joined their sorority for a “prisoner’s breakfast,” one of which took place at the Savoy hotel. At the end of the meal, a toast was raised to His Gracious Majesty the King, the royal family, and the success of the women’s suffrage cause. Would a similar group of direct activists make this proclamation today? I think not. Japaridze has lived experience of toasting as a forum for


political debate. “When Georgia changed from the Soviet period to independence, we weren’t used to discussing events in the media, but we were used to toasting. So, this became our microphone, our way of public speaking. After all, in Georgian we say gaumarjos for ‘cheers.’ It means ‘victory,’” she explains. A toast has been used as a motivational speech for other battles, as during the American Revolution (1764–91), for example: To the enemies of our country! May they have cobweb breeches, a porcupine saddle, a hard-trotting horse, and an eternal journey. And during World War II, that great orator, British prime minister Winston Churchill, was adept at raising a glass, and the roof along with it: Here’s to 1942, here’s to a year of toil—a year of struggle and peril, and a long step forward towards victory. May we all come through safely and with honour.


Shifting attitudes and sensitive subjects Toasting evidently plays a part in political public speaking and proselytizing, but what about those other two subjects that we are all advised to avoid in polite conversation: religion and sex? Are they appropriate or too toe-curling for toasting?


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