When cleansing your palate, it is important to know what you want to taste. The most common palate cleansers include bread, sorbet, pickled ginger, and water. These are all neutral substances that scrub lingering flavors off the tongue. Sorbet, not to be confused with sherbet, is a frozen dessert that contains no dairy and is made of fruit and water. The sharp flavor and lower temperature stimulate the taste buds for future flavor reception. Bread can be used in many forms to cleanse the palate as long as it is not flavored. Crackers also fall under the bread category and should be used with the same restrictions of being unflavored. For optimal tasting experience, certain foods and beverages should be avoided. Any dairy, such as butter, will coat the taste buds and trap previous flavors.

It is important to remember that anything you ingest can subsequently affect how future flavors are perceived. If you are wanting to taste finer nuances and complexities, a clean palate will be your best bet for tasting as many dimensions of a flavor profile as possible.

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Alcohol Content: 13.9%, 27.8 Proof

Price Point: Mid-High Shelf, $30-$40, only found at Cooper’s Hawk establishments

Nose: Mixed dark berries, vanilla, oak

Flavor Profile: Blackberry, dark cherry, leather

Bottom Line: This is a great special occasion wine. It has a balanced body and retains its quality and flavor. A must have for any red meat dinner. 

The Lux Cabernet Sauvignon from Cooper’s Hawk is a dry American red. This wine is only found at Cooper’s Hawk establishments and can be purchased whether you are a member or not. Since its alcohol content is 13.9%, it falls under the full red classification of wine. 

At first pour, you can see that this wine is bold. It is dark red in color and has a medium viscosity. Since full red wines tend to have a more complex profile, it is recommended to let this bottle aerate before consuming. This brings some of the sweeter flavors and aromas out. On the nose it is very easy to pick up some of the darker berries such as blackberries and dark cherries. After some aeration, the vanilla can be picked out as well.

As far as full-bodied reds go, this one is not that complex and is quite balanced. The most prevalent taste for me was the blackberry. After a little while I could pick up the cherry. I ended up saving half the bottle for the day after to continue tasting. On the second day, the wine was noticeably sweeter. I could get more of the vanilla and oak flavors compared to the first day. 

This is one of my favorite celebrations or special event wines. It is balanced enough to be a crowd pleaser without sacrificing any quality. It pairs well with a large variety of foods and will not break the bank.

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