Getting it Right When It Comes to the Right Wine
By Mary Mitchell

Many of us are expected to be knowledgeable hosts when we are entertaining clients, and when it comes to picking the right wines there can seem to be an awful lot of pressure brought to bear.

A reader of my Ms. Demeanor column raised this concern and added a cultural aspect that might not have come immediately to mind. "I come from an Asian background where drinking wine was not really part of our growing up. Now I am in a corporate job and I am expected to entertain. Please help me become more confident about wine. To me, that is much more intimidating than food. Thank you. - R.K."

Don't be afraid to admit what you don't know! If you're at a restaurant, it's perfectly OK to ask the sommelier, maitre d' or server to recommend a wine.

The Expensive Bottles May Prove Far More Costly
Extravagance in your choice can be seen as gauche and a bad business strategy. Do you want colleagues thinking you are thoughtless with money, or perhaps even worse, lead them where they cannot reciprocate? Most good restaurants won't have inferior wines on the list, so opt for the mid-priced bottles.

Some Wine Basics
If you're in a modest restaurant, don't be afraid to order the house wine. And it's never a mistake to choose one bottle and then add orders by the glass if, for example, the majority of the group is drinking a dry burgundy but one person's meal (or preference) just doesn't go well with it. The host should wait until guests have ordered their meals before ordering the wine. Figure on one bottle for three persons, at least. If you are pouring the wine, the glasses should be only half full.

Generally, white wines go with chicken and fish; red ones go with red meats and game. Try a sauvignon blanc for white and pinot noir for red. These are not so overpowering as the standard chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. They often go well with both fish and meat.

And When the Bottle Arrives, Check the Label and Cork
When the wine is presented for your approval, make sure you check the label and be sure it's exactly what you ordered. The server will then open the bottle and present you with the cork. Look at the cork carefully to be sure it's not dried out. That tells you the wine has been stored properly and probably has not turned bad. Pinch it a bit. If it's fine, then lay the cork on the table or give it back to your server and nod. That signals the server to pour the wine.

Don't make a big show of smelling the cork. Cork smells like cork - "eau de tennis shoes". Smelling the cork will not give you any useful information.

The server will pour a small amount of wine in your glass. Taste the wine and nod approval to pour to the server. The server will pour wine into the guests' glasses first and finally, into the host's glass, adding to the small amount poured earlier to taste. 

And When You're Entertaining at Home
Whether you're at home or at a restaurant, show the label to your guests if you are proud of the wine. If the wine is nothing to shout about, and you are entertaining at home, then present it in a nice decanter or carafe. Wine bottles should be placed on a wine coaster so they don't mark the table.

Most red wines should be served at a cool room temperature. White wines should be chilled at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. You'll never go wrong holding a wine glass by its stem. It's fine to hold red wines by the bowl of the glass because the heat from your hand often improves the flavor and bouquet of the wine.

As host, you would serve guests around the table the first time. Start with the person at your right, and finish with yourself after you've gone around the table. After that, ask someone at the other end of the table to take on the job to make things simpler.

Always change a guest's glass when a different wine is poured. In other words, don't pour white wine into a glass that just held red wine. Don't be afraid to hold a napkin under the neck of the bottle to catch drips. Those baskets that hold wine sideways are designed to catch the wine's sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

There's Always More to Learn
Some wonderful sources to learn more about wine are Kevin Zraly's "Windows on the World Wine Course" and "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine". Seek out good wine merchants and pick their brains - you learn most from experiencing it.

Finally, remember that nobody ever has to apologize for not drinking alcohol. Should you decline, say, "Thanks, I'm not drinking wine today." Your statement "today" removes all judgment about the consumption of alcohol. When you are entertaining a recovering alcoholic, simply ask, "What would you like to drink?" Never embarrass anyone by offering everyone else wine and singling out a person for a Shirley Temple.

Cheers!