Sucking on a lemon before tasting

So I debated about whether to post this here or in Wine Pimps. Picked here for maybe a more diverse audience?

I had a BTG customer, yesterday, who said he was very wine-literate. When he asked for a slice of lemon for himself and his date before starting their glasses I simply brought it to them. Now… I certainly don’t profess to be an expert, and I DO know that lemon is a good palate cleanser in general, BUT I’ve never heard of sucking on a piece of lemon before tasting. It just seems to me that too much acidity could effect your palate rather greatly. I’ve personally never heard of anything beyond lemon sorbet in this regard.

Discuss among yourselves. Thanks

Nothing neutral about a lemon.
Best, Jim

One big, wine-loving turkey you have there.

A bit of lemon in water is one thing, but sucking on a lemon is one of the worst things to do before a tasting. Heavy citrus is a palate killer for me.

Does the guy also recommend gargling with listerine?

Same here. I remember drinking a glass of orange juice a couple hours before an early wine event and I couldn’t taste anything. That stuff, like toothpaste, has a real lasting effect.

I bet these people “turn” the wines in their cellar monthly too!

Personally, I prefer a strip of bacon and a teaspoon of maple syrup.

I once had a winemaker friend do that with a very young Chablis with ripping acidity. He said it was a way to assess the fruit without the acid. Made sense then, but love to hear more. Mike

I clicked on this thread, anticipating a Youtube video attachment of Suckling sucking on one before a tasting and then discussing why it sucks to do so.

Unfortunately this guy was dead serious.

I definitely think pedantic self-professed “wine-literate” types should suck it.

I think some people do this before posting on WB as well.

I’ve heard the Chablis thing, not the lemon thing.

I prefer sucking on a strawberry

Sounds odd to me, too, but why doesn’t someone try it (nope, not me, I don’t like straight lemon) and report the results?

That’s an outrageous PH that can literally burn your mouth in excess. If you’re trying to legitimately cleanse your palate while prepping for a ph consistent with wine, try a few gargles with mineral water, like San Pellegrino. From my experience, it’s superior to water, bread, etc.

How about using a very, very, very, very, very small vacuum cleaner to cleanse the palate before tasting wine?

Bruce

Might help with a lint trap as well…

Would have been more impressed if he had asked for Meyer lemon.
Not that I’d cleanse my palate with citrus, but regardless of pH it is citric acid which “allegedly” does not interfere with wine as wine does not have citric acid in it.
I have far more issues with wine and various vinegars, even balsamic, so for salads I use Meyer lemons instead and it seems to work fine with wine.