At Chief Wine Officer events you’ll be invited to taste* 7 wines, plus two sparkling wines.

It’s a vinicultural voyage that will encompass the fragrant and fruity, the effervescent and elegant, the full-bodied and finely textured. Plus plenty of satisfying stop-offs along the way.

That’s why in between tastings, it’s best to cleanse and refresh your palate.

After all, you want to give yourself the best possible chance of gaining the highly coveted Chief Wine Officer award. So here’s how to prime, pep up, and prepare for the journey.

Resetting your taste buds

A piece of bread works wonders for cleansing your palate. Just be sure to leave room for the accompanying courses of gourmet food. Plain bread is fine; you only want to neutralise anything that may get in the way. That’s also a good reason to take more than one sip. Let the first wash away any bread remnants, laying the foundations for your tasting.

CWO evening events start with a reception with vintage champagne. This is to welcome you, and also because sparkling wine helps revitalise your palate for the wonderful whites and refined reds to come.

Water is the best and most practical palate cleanser during the event – as long as it’s neutrally flavoured and not carbonated.

What to avoid beforehand

There are a few characters your palate should avoid hanging around with, at least two hours ahead of the start time:

• Coffee
• Toothpaste
• Tobacco

During the tasting

Always swirl to increase the flow of oxygen to your wine.

This helps give off the aromas for your olfactory senses to go into hyperdrive. For extra aeration, suck in some air as you taste.

Hold the glass by the stem

At CWO events the wines are always served at optimum temperature. So avoid cupping the glass – your hand will warm the wine, muddying the flavours.

That’s it, your palate is ready to conquer the next CWO event. See you, and your taste buds, there.

*CWO events are just as much for non-drinkers. And not just because of the high-level business content and senior executive networking. When it comes to the wine tasting, guests have taken the coveted Chief Wine Officer title using just their sense of smell. So browse the calendar, register for your chosen event, and see if you can (literally) win by a nose.

Do you have any other palate-cleansing tips? Let us know via one (or all) of the below: