Tasting Fatigue (II): And this Syrah Has Distinct Coffee Notes

Our exploration of the growing phenomenon of wine-tasting fatigue in Hungary continues with what must be one of the oddest, though still totally pleasant, sniff-and-sips we’ve ever attended. It took place this morning (9:30 sharp!) at the Nespresso “coffee boutique” on Andrássy út, and featured noted Hungarian sommelier Ildikó Káli (above) talking about the similarities between fine wine and fine coffee.

Naturally, we were looking forward to having a good laugh at all this. But Káli, who serves as the house wine expert at Gundel, gave a nice, focused talk that convincingly showed how similar the experience of enjoying a wine like Weninger‘s always-excellent syrah is with savoring a cup of premium Arabica like Nespresso’s. Just to show you how many similarities there are, the 30 minutes Káli was given to make her case apparently wasn’t enough to point out the important healing properties of both coffee and wine for those who spend too much time at wine tastings.