The Tasting Panel magazine

October 2017

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W e started the discussion of this unique variety by forewarning that the group should expect a difficult grape to identify, but clarified the wine would provide valuable educational ele- ments. Immediately, the consensus was that while it was not overwhelmingly perfumed, it contained more aromatics than the Kettmeir 2016 Pinot Grigio. The fruit also indicated more ripeness, with white peach and nectarine and the citrus pointing more toward lemon juice than lime pith. The participants questioned what else they should look for while tasting a wine. I responded, "I typically look for non-fruit aromas at this point—something we have not yet discussed. Are there any flowers or herbs? I pick up something salty here, almost a celery salt." Bath acknowledged the pointed acidity as well. "It almost makes you wonder where these vineyards are; what does the soil look like?" he asked. THE REVEAL: MÁD 2015 Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary Furmint is a grape variety many of us have tasted as a dessert wine but few have tasted as a dry wine; the grape manifests a unique disposition in either form. István Szepsy, Jr., an 18th-generation winemaker, discussed the volcanic soils of Tokaj and how the high mineral content, absorbed from years submerged under salt water, infiltrates the wines to make an otherwise non-aromatic grape into an expressive wine. MÁD is a village-level blend, an introduction to dry Furmint, and Szepsy, Jr. produces single- vineyard expressions under the Szent Tamás label. His aim is to show just how different the crus are and how they delivering site-specific expressions of a unique variety. I'm not sure if Furmint will make its way into many blind tastings, but the exercise still worked—most guessed an Old World wine from a cool climate, even if Furmint was not their final conclusion. october 2017  /  the tasting panel  /  1 13 In accordance with our Game of Thrones theme, a tie between two of the Snows recognized Robin O'Connor, Educator for Pierre Loti Wine Bar, and Joshua Arola, Sommelier at Hy's Steak House in Honolulu, HI, as the prize winners. Carrie Stebbins, Senior Instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, took the winning title for the Targaryens. Each took home a monetary prize courtesy of The Tasting Panel. MÁD Winemaker István Szepsy, Jr. and President of Vinum Tokaj International Attila Balla delivered the tiebreaker: MÁD 2015 Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary.

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