When the wine steward pours a taste to the host and steps back, don't say "EXCUSE ME, but he'd like a FULL glass, and I'd like some TOO! Sheesh!" :D

ONLY in USA
 

Please have in mind that most ( if not all) the do's and don'ts described here are only valid in USAmerican business dinner "culture".

I worked in Japan, Germany, South ernEurope.. and it is much much different from what is decribed here

Please elaborate!!!

Mahalo!

Jimmy's comment is very true and bears remembering. ^

Anyone seen the movie "A Good Year" with Russel Crowe & Albert Finney?
There is a great scene, set in an outdoor bistro in a provincial town in French wine country where a (stereotypically boorish) American couple orders, among other things: "a salad with low-cal dressing and bacon bits" and 2 "double Mai-Tai's" to drink.
The entire restaurant cheers when they are told to leave :D

LOL!
And don't pound the wine back and challenge everyone else at the table to "chug it!, chug it!" :rolleyes:

On a serious note, kaukau, (and some purists here will cringe) even though I as host will order the wine, I always ask (instruct?) our server to pour some out for my wife as well, since her palate is more refined than mine and I value her judgement in all things. ^

A hui hou.

In case you are in a classy Michelin-star restaurant in Germany, usually the Sommelier ( wine steward) is tasting the wine at first.
And then asks the guests who wants to taste second

i think you and i, or at least your guest and i live in different hemispheres--but, really, who does that?! i'm curious now, or nosey maybe, but what kind of business is that person in?

[QUOTE=tednugent(no relation); even though I as host will order the wine, I always ask (instruct?) our server to pour some out for my wife as well, since her palate is more refined than mine and I value her judgement in all things. ^

A hui hou.[/QUOTE]

^^

No cringing here. Totally concur.

It's also good to handle the wine tasting expeditiously, with a little panache, not overly flamboyant or theatrical: don't make a big production out of it. Alternatively, one may dispense with the tasting altogether, and instruct the server to "Please go ahead and pour. I'm well familiar with this wine. ;) This is also appropriate when ordering a second bottle of the same wine: "Please pour. The first bottle was delicious. I'm sure the second will be equally so."

All my Michelin guides for Germany (Frankfurt, Koln) are from the pre-Wiedervereinigung (sp?) days, so they may be out of date. :(

Even then, some of the best restaurants in Berlin were in the Ost, so I don't know if they're still around.

Tschuss!

Absolutely! Fewer and fewer U.S. restaurants employ a full-time sommelier! Love it when I dine at one. Hugo's Cellar in the 4 Queens casino on Fremont St., Las Vegas has a sommelier. He's the guy in the Tux with the ashtray on a chain around his neck! ;) :D

Don't order anything with bones in it. If you are wearing a light-colored shirt, don't order anything with red sauce. Don't have more than two drinks, no matter what the client is drinking. I once had to leave the table (and a client who was pounding the Scotch and wanted me to stick with him) to ask the server to start slipping me apple juice in a rocks glass.

Michel's at the Colony Surf in Waikiki has one as well. ^

Just as important as recognizing the sommelier (or "wine captain" if you can't pronounce the other word) is knowing how to interact with and then tip him.
If I have consulted the wine captain, I seek him out at the end of the meal, and tip him individually (10-20% of the value of the wines ordered, ~$20-30, cash).

Auwe kaukau, maybe we need a "wine ordering 101 class" in the Islands.
(but no shorts, rubbah slippahs or pidgin allowed :D)

You know you can count me and Mrs. k. in! Same for Mr. and Mrs. Ripper3785.

I understand the no surf shorts or rubbah slippahs restriction; but, for why we no can say "okole maluma" and "suck'em up!" after determining that the fine bottle of Premier Cru we've selected is fit for our consumption?

:D

I made this mistake very early in my career. Although I was the client in this case, I ordered a big, messy cheeseburger for lunch while everyone else got salads. I spent most of my time trying to wipe the sauce from my chin and keeping the burger from falling into pieces as I ate it.

When you're at an interview, and they ask you for dinner or lunch after the interview is over, the interview isn't over.

They want to see how you handle yourself, how you treat the wait staff, your table manners, etc.

If unsure at any point, follow the boss's or client's example. Be reserved but confident, order from the middle price range and no messy food, and for heaven's sake don't put on airs or pretend to be something you're not to impress anyone. It will be more obvious than you think.

My first such dinner, at a high-end restaurant in Moscow, was when I was younger and more naive. I didn't clue in that the interview wasn't over. I got the job though, so I guess my dear mama managed to drill some table manners into me in the end.

The wait staff test is pretty standard -- if you treat them like servants, you're downgraded.

And it may be an urban legend, but I used to hear that at some companies, if you salted / peppered your restaurant food without tasting it first, you were automatically out of the running because it meant you were too programmed or not open-minded or something.