Avoiding Palate Fatigue

Will be doing a marathon (for me) two days of winery visits and tasting this weekend, not something I regularly do. I’ll probably taste 20-30 wines each day. Will be spitting for the most part and will, of course, be carrying water.

What are best ways of avoiding palate fatigue in between wines and wineries? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

At VinItaly, we split a beer between four people every two hours of so, really works.

That’s an interesting idea. I’ll try that next time we go tastig over a weekend.

You don’t even have to swallow it, just rinse your mouth out really well and spit.

+1 agreed …


I use one to swish and spit until one beer cleanses my palate it really works… Avoid breaks and or cheese during the tasting … It will coat your palate in a bad way …


Gl

Cheers !!!

agree with Roberto.
We do the same

I prefer non-flavored sparkling water.

I carry a folding toothbrush and very gently take the tannins off every few hours. Makes a big difference.

I’ll rotate between grissini and sparkling wine or water every 60-90 minutes or so. At the end of the day, a beer is very much in order.

that’s what I do.

Yup…totally agree. My beverage of choice is Coors Lite. The highest calling for that beverage I can think of.
Tom

A light crisp beer works wonders to refresh the palate.

As said by randy and Charlie, sparkling mineral water it is. Learned this one several years back in Napa. Now, as soon as we get to Napa eAch year I buy a case of Pelligrino and that’s what we drink in between wineries all week. Works like a charm.

Ice water works very well for me.

Here in Burgundy we swear by dry bread!

Bread, sparkling water and beer. They all can help.

For 20-30 wines per day, I don’t think palate fatigue will be a big issue. I also agree with others regarding drinking beer.

For your nose, bring some coffee beans to sniff. Or you can simply smell your coat/shirt sleeve or something.

You say you’ll be spitting for the most part. I would make that entirely. Any intoxication, no matter how subtle, can really make you lose focus and stop being able to taste well. When you’re going to different wineries and tasting, you’ll have some time in the car in between. If wineries are really close together, I would just take a walk around and look at the vineyards/views for a bit before bolting in to the next tasting room. Sparkling water and a bit of time between visits should prevent fatigue plenty well as long as you’re not drinking anything. If you have to, eat some bread or crackers, but no cheese.

Spitting is crucial. There were 50 wines at the first trade tasting I went to, and I tasted them all very carefully, and then I realized that I was unintentionally plastered. My mother had to drive me home. Be warned.