The Reason We Clink Wine Glasses
Clinking wine glasses is one of those time-honored traditions we perform without even thinking. Some claim it was originally meant to drive away demons. Others believe the idea was to slosh a little bit of wine into your drinking partner’s glass—that way, he couldn’t poison you without risking dying himself.As exciting as those theories are, they’re just not true. The real reasons we touch our glasses are much simpler. Back before clinking was invented, a toast involved four senses: touch, taste, sight, and smell. The ears were left out of the equation. But as the manufacturing of wine glasses transformed into an art, people began appreciating the fine sounds of struck stemware, and voila, the clink was incorporated into the toasting routine. Clinking also produces a sense of community. Back in olden days, partygoers would pass around a single bowl of wine, and everyone shared from this single vessel. (After the bowl worked its way around the circle, the host would eat a piece of cooked bread, a literal toast.) Today, we’re a bit too worried about germs to try that, so instead of drinking after our neighbors, we tap our glasses. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, I’m part of the group and sharing in the good feeling.”
Clinking wine glasses is one of those time-honored traditions we perform without even thinking. Some claim it was originally meant to drive away demons. Others believe the idea was to slosh a little bit of wine into your drinking partner’s glass—that way, he couldn’t poison you without risking dying himself.As exciting as those theories are, they’re just not true. The real reasons we touch our glasses are much simpler. Back before clinking was invented, a toast involved four senses: touch, taste, sight, and smell. The ears were left out of the equation. But as the manufacturing of wine glasses transformed into an art, people began appreciating the fine sounds of struck stemware, and voila, the clink was incorporated into the toasting routine. Clinking also produces a sense of community. Back in olden days, partygoers would pass around a single bowl of wine, and everyone shared from this single vessel. (After the bowl worked its way around the circle, the host would eat a piece of cooked bread, a literal toast.) Today, we’re a bit too worried about germs to try that, so instead of drinking after our neighbors, we tap our glasses. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, I’m part of the group and sharing in the good feeling.”
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