If you are reading our article it means that you want to toast in the best possible way, according to the specific rules that regulate this practice. We have decided to present you the 5 basic rules for the perfect toast. Take a few minutes to read this article and you will make a great impression during the Christmas or New Year toast!

5 rules to follow for a perfect toast

Here are 5 fundamental rules to make the perfect toast.

1. You must toast before or after the meals

The toast can be made at two very specific times outside the meal, before or after the meal, therefore, before or after lunch or Christmas dinner and, on the last day of the year, at the stroke of the midnight.

During these holidays, you will happen to participate in various lunches or dinners where there will be the opportunity to toast. In these situations, the toast can be placed in the two moments we mentioned in the lines above: before the meal, perhaps during the introductory aperitif or at the end of the meal, when the sweet or dessert is served.

Before the meal, the toast allows you to create a joyful and convivial atmosphere. At the end of meals, the toast allows you to close lunch or dinner in the best possible way, reinvigorating the sense of conviviality. Furthermore, in these two phases the type of wines preferred for the toast are usually placed: sparkling wines and bubbles ...

2. You must toast with sparkling wine or bubbles

You must toast with sparkling wines or bubbles, traditionally considered the perfect type of wine for toasting. For the finesse and elegance of the perlage, for their golden color and, more generally, for their organoleptic qualities, which remember and recall special and festive moments and occasions, sparkling wines are the protagonists of the toast.

You don't have to toast with other drinks! Above all, it would be a very serious mistake to toast with water because it would bring bad luck! For this reason, before the final toast, the water glasses should be collected and removed from the table, in order to avoid possible errors. Likewise, if the toast is given before the meal, glasses of water should not be brought to the table. In short, everything is done to avoid toasting with water.

Even those who don't like or drink wine should toast with wine. On these occasions, a little effort is asked of them. The teetotaler simply has to bring the glass to his lips, without necessarily drinking the wine. What matters is the gesture and the ritual. If you happen to have a toast with teetotal people, remind them of these basic rules.

3. The host must propose the first toast

During this period, you may be invited to lunch or dinner by friends and relatives. On these occasions, you shouldn't be the first to propose the toast. It is the host who has to propose, at least for the first time, the toast, preferably during the pre-meal or aperitif.

Guests can propose a toast later, perhaps at the end of the meal ...

4. The toast is made by standing up and saying personalized phrases

Another golden rule for the perfect toast is that those who participate in this ritual must stand up. The first to stand up will be the person who proposes it and then the rest of the people. But that's not all: when you decide to propose a toast you must verbally attract the attention of other people. You don't want to attract attention by banging the cutlery on the glass. Although it is quite widespread, this practice should be avoided.

Finally, when you propose a toast you should not say the classic expressions such as cheers or prosit. For toast etiquette you should use a short and personalized greeting phrase. In this way, diners will recognize the genuineness and extraordinary nature of the gesture.

5. During the toast, do not let the glasses touch each other

The perfect toast does not require the guests to touch their glasses to each other. This is one of the rules that are not respected most frequently. You will certainly have happened to participate in a toast in which all the guests touched their glasses to each other, producing the classic cheers. This is not good! The possibility of breaking the glasses and the noises produced are not considered elegant. What to do then? Just turn the glass towards the other people at the table or meet your gaze or smile at the various guests you are toasting with.

You have all the information to make your Christmas and New Year toasts perfect.