Now that we are toasting the 40th anniversary of the Ribera del Duero Denomination, perhaps it is the ideal time to talk about an ancient custom, toasting by putting glasses together, something that we all do without asking ourselves where it comes from.

Everything that surrounds the world Wine, being a very old crop, has a lot of history. Its origin is estimated to date back to 5000 BC, so let’s dive a little into history to find out why we knock glasses when toasting.

Let’s start with the first legend. They say that the popular “chin – chin” comes from the alteration of the German expression “ich bring dir’s”, which means something like “I’ll bring it to you.” This phrase was uttered by the German mercenaries. of Charles V referring to the loot obtained by sacking the city of Rome in 1527, celebrating the victory by raising his glasses in honor of the king.

Another theory says that in the Roman bacchanals people wanted to enjoy drinks with all their senses, and as the only The hearing did not participate, the glasses were clinked so that the sound could participate in the pleasure of drinking.

Finally, there are historians who claim that this custom originated in the 4th century BC, in the Roman Empire. In those times, betrayals were rampant and murders by poisoning the drink were common. Therefore, as a sign of camaraderie and trust, hosts and guests would often clinking their full glasses together so that some of the liquid would pass from one glass to the other, making it clear that there was no poison in the drink. Of course, glasses in those days were not of the highest quality. glass.

In reality, its origin is not known for certain, but a good reason is the celebration of the Anniversary of the Ribera del Duero Denomination, for health and so that at Bodegas Federico we continue to make quality wines.