Wine Critic James Suckling Says To Always Cleanse Your Palate Between Sips

Going to a wine tasting is a fun activity — and one that oenophiles take very seriously. If you'd like to take a cue from those wine-loving experts the next time you're out trying different wines, then it's important to cleanse your palate in between taking sips. Even legendary wine critic James Suckling says so.

In an article for Masterclass, Suckling describes how he goes about cleansing his palate. Suckling says, "I regularly cleanse my palate with water. I like to use high-pH water, eight or above ... I find that alkaline solution of water cleanses my palate much better and reduces the acid in many wines." Other palate-cleansing options for Suckling include foods such as bread or olives. He adds, "You want things that refresh your palate." As it turns out, there are plenty of options for cleansing your palate that will allow you to plan your wine tasting accordingly.

Suckling's suggestions of water, bread, or olives are all great options to cleanse your palate in between wine sips, but there are plenty of others for you to choose from. First of all, there are even specific crackers, called wine crackers, that are specifically meant for this task. If you don't want to seek those out, other food options include cheese and some fruits such as apple or pineapple.

Additionally, there are other drinks besides water that you can use. One unexpected option is beer. As odd as it seems to drink beer in between sips of wine (the two drinks are often treated as opposites, after all), beer is an effective palate cleanser. The main reason it works so well for this is beer is about 95% water. Because of this, don't be surprised if you see beer available at your next wine tasting.