You are not alone. Despite how you may feel at the table, you are not alone in finding yourself overwhelmed by the wine list. And that is okay. Wine is a business and social skill- being comfortable discussing, ordering and drinking it is just as important as being able to discuss ROI with clients. It may not be something that is discussed in the interview process but it sure does help the social aspect. Dinners are all about building relationships and making people feel comfortable, and currently you are extremely uncomfortable. 

As someone who has spent a lot of time as the sommelier in high end steakhouses- I’m telling you to ask for help. As a sommelier, the person whose job it is to sell wine, we want to help. Sommeliers are there to sell, but they are also invested in you having an excellent experience, so you can trust them. Be open and honest with them about your budget and understanding. If you are not comfortable doing that in front of your clients, arrive a few minutes early and speak to the sommelier while you are at the bar. One of my favorite guests of all time, Kenneth, used to come in a half hour before, flag me down at the bar while he drank a Miller Lite and tell me who was joining him- “I have four doctors joining me, we have a budget of $400 for wine tonight and I don’t have any clue what to do for them. Can you make me look good?” The answer was always yes, because Kenneth was a nice human being. When his party arrived I would go shake his hand, say hello and ask the table what they enjoyed and then select wines based on that- or if they were already deep in conversation I could just ask Kenneth if he wanted ‘the usual.’ Kenneth’s guests’ were always impressed at the relationship we had- assuming he was a wine connoisseur and uber sophisticated, when truly, the second they left, he went right back to Miller Lite. It’s okay to lean on the somm to help- you can outsource your wine selection. 

If you are in a situation where there is no sommelier, that’s okay too. I suggest learning a few brands you enjoy and you can stick with those. Duckhorn, Flowers, Jordan and Caymus all grace thousands of wine lists across the country. While they are big producers, they are also consistent and tend to be crowd pleasers. 

So in summary, to be more comfortable with wines- ask for help and find some go-tos. Congratulations on your promotion, I’m sure you will kill it!

Cheers,