Pardon us, the wine judges, if we look a bit grungy after a wine competition – purple lips, brown teeth – but we’re just following advice from Australian dental researchers, who suggest we shouldn’t brush our teeth after tasting dozens of wine, reports The Drinks Business.

Brushing gently with our fingers and a bit of toothpaste is all right, but we shouldn’t use toothbrushes. Apparently the continuous exposure to the acid in wines during a long tasting session softens the teeth and they should not be brushed at that point. They suggest chewing gum before tasting, but I don’t know a professional wine taster who would consider that acceptable, on the basis that most have some kind of mint or other flavour that will get in the way of tasting correctly.

Every job has its risks.