How to Order Wine

You're at a business dinner. It's the end of the day, you're tired, thirsty and hungry, and the first thing the waiter asks you is what you'd like to drink.

You're still on the clock, technically, so your actions here are considered part of your job performance. You would like a glass of wine, but how exactly should you order it in this situation?

The short answer is sparingly, appropriately and indulgently.

Sound like a contradiction? It is. Welcome to the world of alcohol, a stimulant that's a depressant, a pick-me-up that'll run you down, a soporific and an agent of insomnia.

Drink Wine Sparingly

Miss Conduct's first rule of business-dinner behavior is that if you're the only one drinking, you shouldn't be. The fact that you're at a business dinner means it's most definitely not the end of your workday -- yet.

You need to stay sharp, so do not match your companions drink for drink.

However, do allow them to indulge because, as George Bernard Shaw once wrote, "That is the whole secret of successful fighting. Get your enemy at a disadvantage; and never, on any account, fight him on equal terms." Letting your opponent in negotiations booze it up is an easy way to play your strengths.

If you're drinking with an associate, you can have one glass (OK, maybe two). If you're drinking with an adversary, consider drinking only half what he or she does (up to that limit of one).

If you really want more wine, stave off any craving for more by drinking lots of water and promising yourself a glass of something flavorful later, on your own time.