Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/859549
{ SOMMjournal.com } 81 All year long we've been celebrating the noble Furmint grape, once merely an integral component in Hungary's legendary "noble rot" (botrytized) sweet wines, but now earning its time in the spotlight as a single-varietal dry wine that's taking the world by storm. Leading the way for this new phase of Furmint is Mád, a small village in the Tokaj Wine Region whose recent dry release—Mád Furmint, a village-level blend, accompanied by Grand Tokaj's Dry by Tokaj, the first regional-level dry Furmint blend —has won over the hearts and palates of sommeliers across North America, following in the footsteps of Szent Tamás Winery, whose much-beloved single- vineyard estate wines have set the benchmark for quality in Hungarian wines. We took the Furmint show on the road to two dinners in the Great White North, joining forces with importer and brand builder Vinum Tokaj International LLC and distributor Southern Glazer's of Canada in Toronto and Vancouver to introduce the cities' top sommeliers and buyers to dry Furmint and the future of Hungarian wines. "In Ontario, we have been extremely limited in regard to availability of Hungarian The Furmint team in Vancouver (from left to right): Károly Kovács, owner of Mad Wine and Szent Tamás Winery; Chris Funnell, Territory Manager Vancouver, On Premise, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits BC; Randy Theberge, Field Sales Manager, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits BC; Enikö Magyar, Project Director of Wines of Excellence; Attila Balla, President and CEO of Vinum Tokaj International; Curtis Gerke, Regional Director, BC Sales and Operations, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits; Tamás Nagy, WSET, Marketing Manager and Wine Educator of Szent Tamás Winery. Lindsay Groves is a wine educator in Toronto, Ontario. She was impressed by the versatility of Furmint as expressed by Mád and Szent Tamás. PHOTO COURTESY VINUM TOKAJ INTERNATIONAL