You ever have a "Bad palate night"

[Andy Velebil]

Last night was one of those very rare times when ye old palate was totally and completely shot. Nothing I drank tasted good. A Delaforce Tawny, a Diet Coke, even water just didn't seem right. Not sure why...maybe the long super busy day at work? Tonight all is back to normal, but boy, last night was no fun.

So has this ever happened to you? If so, what normally triggers these bad palate days for you?

[Alex K.]

Every time I go to an off-line

[Moses Botbol]

Could be sinus related? Smelling salts and doucing your head under water may cure it. A punch in the head always works for me. :twisted:

My palate sucks in general, so I don't know what a good night is... :help:

[Andy Velebil]

A punch in the head always works for me. :twisted:

I prefer to let a herd of Elephants trample me

Sinuses seemed to be ok, but I'm no doctor so not sure if I had some kinda one-day issue.

Every time I go to an off-line

Thats not good, unless the Ports you're drinking are not good to begin with, in that case your palate will be spot on

[Roy Hersh]

It could be from taking medication and especially antibiotics which can wreak havoc with your palate and even produce a metalic flavor to everything. Also anti-histamines from what I've read, can cause your palate to taste off.

Then again it could have been that tuna fish and onion sandwich you had for lunch?

[Andy Velebil]

Then again it could have been that tuna fish and onion sandwich you had for lunch?

I didn't think about that...but there was no onions on it

[Derek T.]

I thought LA Cops only ate chilli-dogs and donuts

[Andy Velebil]

Only donuts and bad coffee

[Roy Hersh]

Andy eats the chili dogs and tacos at his local truck stop at 3 a.m. but donuts at dinner time. If you ever see a motorcycle policeman in the LA burbs with a hip flask (with 1985 Fonseca) you can guess who that is.


Now back to the topic at hand. I have once had a weird metalic taste in my mouth for ten days without taking any medication and could not for the life of me, figure it out. I had a huge wine judging assignment coming up to do the Oregon State Wine Competition (this was 2002) and fortunately about two days before I was to head down there it disappeared. I was all ready to call the organizer of the judges and tell her I was not going to be able to make it. I dodged the bullet, so to speak.

I can think of three examples when the vast majority of great wines showed very poorly, even considering that the bottles all came from different sources at each event. One was the last night of the 2003 Great Seattle Port weekend. At dinner, we all had MAGS of great stuff, 1st growth Bordeaux and young/old Rhone and CA Cabs etc... but we were stunned that almost nothing showed well. Then while visiting my brother in Colorado, he put together a big Bordeaux fest with great 1970-1990 Bordeaux. The same thing, almost nothing showed to be drinking well and I had brought a 1970 Latour which should have been a rock star and even a 1989 Haut Brion was seemingly off. In 2007, a vertical of the expressive CA Cabs by Dominus, which normally are outstanding. Even my 1991 was a disappointment and normally in blind tastings against top Bdx., it shows very very well.

Some chalked up the CO experience to a localized storm and the fact that low barometric pressure was responsible. At the Dominus event, many thought the food pairings were so off that it made the wine taste bad, but I was drinking the wine before the food, so i am pretty sure that was not the case. Who knows why these things happen. I can honestly say that given how many wines were at these events and all from different cellars, it is just a matter of an unexplainable "freakazoid" night.