Wine or beer? Whatever your fancy, you must own your drink choices.

I recently went on a first date with a new guy. He also had some potential on paper, and we’d had some great conversations leading up to the first date. He even picked Screwtop, a local Arlington, VA wine bar, as the location for the date. I’d been there before, but he hadn’t, and he picked it on the recommendation of a friend who used to work there.

We met for drinks and spent some time perusing the menu, or at least I did. I didn’t have to search long for my choice because they had my favorite sparkling wine, Bugey-Cerdon, on the menu. Naturally, I ordered Bugey. He ordered beer.

My gut reaction was shock and a little dismay. I was on a date at a wine bar and the guy ordered a beer. Why would he do that?

He, however, owned his drink choice. He immediately said, “I recognize we’re at a wine bar.” I appreciated his honesty and realized he likely chose a wine bar for me.

To get a second date with Kathleen, you must own your drink choices.

What this experience told me was that this guy was honest, thoughtful, and confident. He didn’t pretend to like something he wasn't, and it offered me a potential opportunity to teach him wine in the future. He got a second date.