Without a doubt, there’s any number of these in the English language, words that sound very similar, if not exactly the same, but that have different meanings. In this case, we’re talking about palate vs palette.
I think the classic example might be “right” vs “write” but there are a few of these that touch on the wine industry as well.
Palate is one of these terms that gets tossed around pretty often in winery tasting rooms, while the palette is often misused for another aspect of the industry, pallet. Yeah I know, it’s actually probably more confusing than simply palate vs palette.
When we’re talking about the term palate, we’re normally referring to an individual and their own unique set of flavors that they notice, or don’t notice, more often than the average individual. A few examples, some people find that they taste salt in their food more than others. Others, (I fall into this category) notice the bitterness in certain foods more than others, so as an example, I really dislike chocolate. Your palate is your personal preferences and ability to notice those flavors in both food and wine.
A palette on the other hand is often misused by some in the wine industry to not mean the artists paint holder/mixing trey, but instead the piece of wooden board that cases of wine are stacked on top of.
Ok, so when people are wondering what’s the difference between palate vs palette in the wine industry, they’re really talking about the term palate. It’s something that ties together both winemakers as well as, tasting room staff, which isn’t actually that easy to do!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this discussion of the differences between palate vs palette, with a side of pallet thrown in.