Wine Traditions Around the World

There’s more to wine than just being a party staple or an antioxidant. It is clothed with poignant traditions and unique celebrations that vary in different countries. Here are some unique wine traditions all around the world and see how these methods bring distinct wine personality to each place.

The Humble Toast

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Wine toasting isn’t just a tradition in a particular place but rather a practice widely observed by most wine lovers all around the world. Raising and clinking the glasses together is apparently the most popular tradition but do you know the reason behind such? Well, some say that it is practiced to acknowledge the presence of a person. Other traditions also consider it as an act to drive out demons or a way to avoid poisoning someone without poisoning one's self. The clinking further bears the 5th sense and even brings out the feeling of acceptance in the community. In other countries, toasting with water means death by drowning.

The Flaming Wine

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In Germany, you will be surprised with their unique tradition of flaming wine or popularly known as Feuerzangenbowle. This isn’t your normal wine drinking session— featuring a German mulled wine, this wine punch comes with a flaming rum-soaked sugar loaf positioned above the wine so that the sweetened drips go directly into the spiced wine.

Coke and Red Wine Combo

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This famous wine and coke cocktail has a vague origin but it is very popular in Spain. The tradition was said to originate when the people during one of the earlier Basque festivals noticed that the wines were sour, so they decided to mix it with something to make it more appealing; hence, the coke and wine combo. Today, the well-favored mixed drink is named as Kalimotxo or Calimocho and is a common and cheap alternative for a group of drinkers.

The Toastmaster

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If you are given the job as the master toast in a country like Georgia, better prepare yourself for over a hundred of basic toasts and plenty of complicated ones. The country has compelling, ancient wine traditions and one is the ceaseless toasts done by the toastmaster during formal feasts and drinking celebrations. The toastmaster or the Tamada is a notable individual in the community with substantial rhetoric skills as well as extended patience for the countless toasts all throughout the event.

Respect For The Elders

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In Korea, you should never pour your own drink and you need to stand or rise to a kneeling position and take the glass with both hands. By tradition, one should turn away from the elders upon drinking, though this hasn’t been often practiced.  

The Battle of Wine

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Every summer, the La Rioja Region in Spain hosts the Battle of Wine or known as the Haro Festival. Before the anticipated battle, a mass is held to commemorate the day of patron Saint San Pedro and to have a peaceful and successful event. Then on June 29, the battle begins with buckets and liters of wines sprayed, poured and showered against the other group. After the spectacular wine fighting, the people gather in Plaza de la Paz Square to enjoy a lively and traditional dancing.

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