Raising a glass to work lunches

At a couple of recent work lunches where I've been a guest, I've been disconcerted to be the only one at the table to order a glass of wine. No one raised an eyebrow but I felt like the odd one out. Am I misreading what's normal these days?

Remember the good old days when business lunches began with martinis and finished with cocaine? Me neither. However, I can confirm that in many countries, industries and companies, a little wine with lunch is still the civilised norm. In others, sad to say, it's about as acceptable as lap-dancing.

The wine-and-work-lunch dynamic is now a bit uncertain. Ideas about what's appropriate reflect business confidence and people can be reluctant to be seen lunching when targets aren't being met or redundancies are looming.

Roberto Scheriani, owner of The Italian restaurant and bar in Melbourne's blue-chip 101 Collins building, has watched lunchtime wine orders plummet in the past 18 months. ''It used to be that two people would come in and order a bottle. Now it's more like two glasses. I would say 50 per cent of corporate customers have one glass of wine each and the other half have mineral water,'' Scheriani says.

He has noticed advertising and public-relations people are still ordering wine but top-end-of-town accountants and solicitors have pulled back. He expects this to change when the federal election is over and corporate deals start flowing again.

So, wine or mineral water? It depends on the context. In Australia, seniority matters: top executives are generally more confident about ordering wine than middle management or juniors. If your lunch is about building a relationship or celebrating a done deal, wine is fine - important, even. If it's more about the meeting than the meal, with proposals and spreadsheets on the table, proceed with caution.

Take your cues from the venue and your host. A well-known restaurant is more likely to warrant wine than a casual cafe. A place renowned for wine is another pointer. For example, if you're invited to Sydney CBD haunt Fix St James, your host may well have an interest in wine (or thinks you do).

Still no clue? When the waiter comes to take drink orders, it helps everyone if the host takes the initiative. If he or she encourages guests to order first, there is no harm in asking the host, casually: ''Are we planning to have wine today, or shall we stick with mineral water?''