by Erika Lenkert
September 2006

There’s no one right way to order wine when hosting a business dinner in a restaurant. But here are a few tips to make your experience go down as smoothly as a perfectly aged cabernet.

First, get your bearings. Before even looking at the list, determine if any of your guests would enjoy helping with the selection. Giving a wine-loving guest the reins is a generous gesture. If you end up in charge, take a few minutes to get comfortable with the list by noticing the types of wine it includes and how they’re organized and priced.

Next ask fellow diners if they have any likes or dislikes. Matching a person with wine they like is equally, if not more, important than finding the perfect wine to pair with the steak and potatoes.

If a wine professional is on hand, share the table’s preferences and desired menu selections with him or her and ask some evocative questions: What’s drinking particularly well right now? Are there any wines not on the list that I should know about? If I like X wine, can you recommend something similar in price and style from a different region? Or better yet, challenge them to come up with the perfect choice.

Even if you know wine, it’s often a good idea to leave the selection to the pros. They know their list better than anyone and enjoy sharing their knowledge and favorite selections. Challenge them by offering parameters, such as personal style preferences, the table’s dinner choices and desired price point. Then let them do the work for you. The mere fact that you can express your desires to a wine professional has already shown the table that you know your stuff, so your work is done.

If there isn’t a wine professional on hand or a consensus on food among your guests, follow the advice of Evan Goldstein, master sommelier and vice president of global wine education for Beam Wine Estates. He suggests, “Pick the most flexible types of wines—pinot noir or merlot for reds and pinot grigio or riesling for whites.”

And when all else fails, remember that a great wine pairing is as simple as wine and good company.