Wisdom Toasts

May we live to learn well, and learn to live well.

In the words of Charles M. Meyers, "May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going, and the insight to know you've gone too far. "

Here's to wine, wit, and wisdom.
Wine enough to sharpen wit,
Wit enough to give zest to wine,
Wisdom enough to "shut down" at the right time.

To wisdom-may we always learn from our mistakes.

"Ask nothing that is not clearly right, and submit to nothing that is wrong." -Andrew Jackson

Here's to wisdom. May it come with age.

How do you rest your utensils while eating?

Our resting utensils etiquette section covers the rules (american and continental) for resting your utensils when taking a break from eating, when you are finished eating, and when you are passing food [...]

Oyster Etiqette

Proper technique for eating oysters.

Caviar Etiquette

Dining etiquette for eating caviar.

Hard to Eat Foods

Proper etiquette for eating hear to eat foods.

Table Manners

It's easy to impress at the dinner table! Just take a few minutes to read through our table manners section and you'll be the most sophisticated diner at the table.

Visit our international dining etiquette section for more etiquette tips for your next trip overseas or hosting international guests!

Wine Tasting Etiquette

Once it is poured into the proper glass, it’s time to evaluate and enjoy the wine. Evaluating wine involves four basic steps – looking, swirling, smelling, and tasting.

Step #1 – Look. Holding the wine glass up against a white background, such as a napkin or table cloth, to evaluate its color and clarity. Red wines should range in color from deep purple to brick red. White wines should range in color from lemon gold to golden amber.
Step #2 – Swirl. Swirl the wine in your glass to aerate it.
Step #3 – Smell. Put your nose in the glass and take a deep breath. Older wines should have subtler aromas than younger ones.
Step #4 – Taste. To taste the wine, fill your mouth about ½ full and subtly swish the wine around.

Helpful hints for setting the perfect table!

Visit our table setting section for information on:

Formal table settings.

Informal table settings.