The Next Big Thing -- Georgian Wine!
I recently learned that many wine industry insiders are counting on wine from Georgia to be the next big thing in wine consumption. Perhaps bigger than Yellowtail.
In Georgia it is frowned upon to drink wine alone. When two or more Georgians get together to enjoy wine, one of them will be designated "Tamada”. Tamada is similar to what westerners refer to as “master of ceremonies”. A Tamada sets the tone of the feast. He selects the wine and blesses the host wishing him many fruitful harvests. He then welcomes all that are gathered to fill their khantsis (a vessel made out of a mountain ram's horn) and leads in the following 7 toasts :
The first toast is to peace. After the Tamada drinks his wine each participant stands up and toasts to peace as well.
With the second toast, the Tamada blesses the hostess thanking her for the warm welcome and compliments her on her efforts. Again, all stand and say a toast in her honor. After this toast is said, the hostess must pick up her khantsi and say a toast of thanks to all that have come.
The third toast goes to the country, wishing prosperity, a bright future and the defeat of all enemies. All then stand and toast to the country. At this time, participants will strike up a song of praise to their country.
For the fourth, a toast is said in honor of all the mothers.
Next, the Tamada offers a toast to all that have passed away and have earned the right to be remembered. At this point, the hostess brings a dish with bread and salt. This toast is the only one where the Tamada leaves some wine in the khantsi in honor of their memory. The Tamada then pour this wine onto the bread.
Immediately after this, he leads everyone in a toast to life, which is the sixth toast.
The seventh toast is dedicated to love and it’s importance in our everyday lives.
My thanks to Jim Parker and his fabulously informative site: www.ndoba.com
I notice there's no mention of standing after the third toast. Wonder why.
You know, Stalin was a Georgian. Maybe he didn't lift his khantsis enough.
Who are you?
Just another pop-off blogger. Terry Hughes, http://mondosapore.com
The east 50s is filled with wiseacres.
We lie thick on the ground here. Especially when we've been degustatin'.
In my experience there are at least five blockheads per wiseacre in the East 50s.
n.f.w.
Just as an FYI, in Georgia, if you toast to or about your mother-in-law, you can NEVER toast with wine as wine is a 'quaility' beverage; you have to toast with beer, the most lowly of beverages :-)
Its a pretty cute tongue-in-cheek way all the husbands of Georgia get a cheap slam at the ole Mother-in-Law.
So here's a Bud to Makvela :-)
i love their pecans. they make wonderful pies.
One, two, three, four
All right
Watch it, watch it
Say man
Hattie told Mattie
About a thing she saw
Had two big horns
And a wooly jaw
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully
Hattie told Mattie
Don't you take no chance
Don't you be L7
Come and learn to dance
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully
Hey watch it now, man
Watch it, watch it
Mattie told Hattie it's the thing to do
Get yourself a filly
To pull the wool with you
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully, Wooly Bully
Wooly Bully
You got it, you got it
What the hell? What are these people talking about? What's it got to do with Georgian wine or living in Midtown east? Has anybody got a great Muscadet to go with this dayboat flounder from FreshDirect?
"Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain..."
if you were looking for linear thought or perhaps even reason, you've come to the wrong blog, pallie-wallie! go with that flow...
you got that right.
Scottish Toast
"here's to me, and my wife's husband, not forgetting ,myself!
or
from the poachers in the north of England who were tied to work for the manor house, and went poaching to have enough to eat
"here to this meal, which has n'owt to do with the Duke of Newcastle!"
****Burrrrrrp***