Cleansing the palate: What to use?

What is the best way to cleanse your palate between tasting different wines?

Good white bread is the standard palate-cleanser at tastings because it's neutral in flavor. If you watch professional wine buyers doing their work, they'll take a piece of bread and a drink of water between wines in order to judge each one from a standing start.

At social wine tastings, you'll often see cheese or even more substantial snacks like shrimp, roast beef, meatballs or bacon-wrapped chicken livers served, but this is not such a good idea when you're evaluating wines for purchase because wines taste different with food than without it.

You'll sometimes see apples and other fruit served with wine, but I don't recommend it, as fruit may make the wine taste a little sour.

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