A sommelier tastes a wine and pauses.

They might say: "There's something not quite right here." They don't always start with a technical explanation. But they know. Because over years of exposure, repetition, and reflection, they've developed something that looks like instinct but is actually something more precise, a professional palate. A trained sensitivity to the thing that's slightly off, even before they can fully name it.

In this episode of What a DSL Can Learn From... we explore what the sommelier reveals about safeguarding judgement. Because there are moments in this role where nothing is clearly wrong. No disclosure. No obvious incident. No evidence you could put in a report. And yet something doesn't feel right. This episode is about why that feeling matters, where it comes from, and why dismissing it, waiting for certainty before you act, is one of the most common ways safeguarding concerns are missed.

What feels like gut instinct is often recognised patterns you haven't consciously articulated yet. That's worth paying attention to.

One question to carry into your week: What is currently giving you a sense that something isn't quite right — and are you paying enough attention to it?