I hesitate to even use the word etiquette because our restaurant experiences now—even at white-tablecloth venues—are vastly less formal—some might say, less stuffy! My goal in this post is to help you navigate those steps by explaining why they are what they are and point out which are silly.

We’ll take up right where we left off in Part 1. You’ve chosen a bottle, the somm or server has presented it for your approval and you nod yes because it’s the correct one. Your bottle is then opened and when it is, something happens that has flummoxed most diners since bottles have been opened at restaurant tables.