The Toast Master
Georgian Wine Traditions
“Come as a friend and I will greet you with wine.
Come as an enemy and I will greet you with the sword.”
~ Kartlis Deda - Mother of Georgia
Kartlis Deda stands proud on the top of the Sololaki hill. She overlooks Tbilisi and her statement to visitors is clear.
“We are a people of warriors. We are survivors. Pretty much every generation of Georgians has lived through at least one war”, explains my driver Avtandil.
Over the coarse of the centuries the city of Tbilisi was burnt down and rebuilt well over twenty times by invaders. The Georgian people never bent. They preferred to give their life over surrendering or letting go of their identity or faith.
No matter how tough the situation in the country has been, the people of Georgia always found their way through the challenges. The tougher the situation, the more the sense of community was felt.
“Being the toast master comes with responsibility”, Avtandil says.
Never before having heard the expression, I listen attentively. If there is one thing that has become clear to me over the past week, it is the important role wine plays in the life of the Georgian people. And it turns out that there is much more to it, than just the drinking of a good glass of the alcoholic beverage.
Community, family and friends play an important role in everyday life of the Georgian people. They gather for festivities and shared meals. Wine being part of it goes back a long time. According to archeologists, proof of winemaking in Georgia has been found as far back as 6,000 years ago. Georgians are proud to state that they were probably the first people to make wine and that the word wine stems from the Georgian language.
“There need to be at least three rounds of wine”, Avtandil explains. “Each round starts with a toast. A toast needs to have meaning. It cannot just be some words. The first toast is always for God. The second and third are for Life and Peace. Of course there is much more we can address if there are more rounds. These three are mandatory.”
The toast master is not just the one proposing the toasts. He has the leading role and is the one in charge of the party. Therefore he needs to be the strongest. At least mentally, and in certain cases maybe even physically. In case of an argument, the toast master acts as the mediator. He needs to be the first at the table, and he has to be the last man standing.
“Well, it is rare for a woman to be the toast master”, he answers my question with a contemplative look on his face. “If it is a women-only party, it is possible. Or in the rare case that the man of the house is not at home.”
“A true Georgian man must be able to drink at least two liters of wine”, he tells me.
He starts laughing when I express my surprise, and adds that three liters is even better.
“Only for men”, he laughs. “Women don’t have to drink that much. They need to take care of the men.”
I bet they will have to. Even if you’re a well-trained Georgian man, it sounds relatively unlikely to me that many of them will be able to walk straight after several liters of wine. If they will still be able to walk at all.
“Unfortunately, wine-making in Georgia is nowadays mostly done in big wineries, most of whom add some sugar and chemical substances to the wine”, Avtandil shrugs.
He prefers to make his own wine. While this was in the past a tradition in pretty much every Georgian family, nowadays most of them buy the wine. It is cheaper, and many families simply don’t have the space to make wine. He is lucky enough to know how to do it and to have the space.
“Every year I buy two hundred to three hundred kilos of grapes. They need to be good quality, because I do not add anything. I want the wine to be pure. I make enough to last me a year. When you drink good quality wine you don’t feel bad the next morning”, he explains with a smile.
“You understand now, that the toast master needs to be a responsible and wise man. It cannot be a young boy. He will first have to learn to drink wine. We do not give our children wine when they are young. We wait till they are about eighteen years old. My boy and girl only get a little sip of it.”
The time on the road to visit the sites in the mountainous areas at about four hours driving from the capital have flown by while listening to Avtandil’s stories about Georgia, its culture and his family. On top of being a good driver and a nice person, he turned out to be a true ambassador for his country.
“I will always remember about the role of the toast master and about Mother Georgia”, I assure him, when he drops me off in the late afternoon.
“Who knows, maybe one day I will be your toast master”, Avtandil says.
“Will it be okay if I toast with water? I don’t drink wine”, I reply with a smile on my face.
“We’ll find a solution”, he says after a moment of silence and with a bit of a puzzled look on his face.
The Vardzia cave monastery visit was quite amazing. Vanis Kvabebi unfortunately was closed for visitors due to rock fall. The Khertvisi fortress offered impressive views on the surrounding mountains and valleys. Avtandil added a visit to a lakeside nunnery, which had a little church with a beautiful energy. The drive took me through splendid mountain sceneries, where herds of cows and horses wander about the roads. Most of all, I felt blessed having been given an insight into Georgian culture and life by a driver, who loves his job, his family, his country and its culture. Thank you, Avtandil.
Upcoming events
24 September: Basic Healer Workshop (in person, in Dutch, in The Netherlands)
30 October – 9 November: Siwa Retreat
6 - 20 February 2027: Siwa Art Retreat