Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/807384
64 / the tasting panel / april 2017 64 / the tasting panel / april 2017 cated. You have these great character- istics in the Mád wines—tropical notes and some citrus. It's not aged in wood, so it's lean, as approachable as a good Chablis. The quality of these wines at their price point is simply amazing," Gabor says. "At Hotel Irvine, we cover the usual varieties, of course, but I'm always looking for something exiting which could represent our lifestyle culture. We have our signature restau- rant Eats and you will find the vibrant and energetic Red Bar in the middle of the hotel's lobby. To make our food and beverage offerings even more unique we have a Marketplace concept as well. You can buy locally grown produce, pastries, coffee and espresso, as well as pizza and paninis. It is affordable and fast paste so guest does not have to wait long to grab something to eat or drink. Right now we have over 2,500 different products, including snacks, cheeses and wine. I see the Mád wines fitting in well with our vision. What a joy for the hotel to offer something like this!" When asked how dry Furmint will be positioned on the menu at EPIC, Safian confides, "I just had an interesting surprise last week. I was talking with one of my regular customers, and he was very excited to see these wines on our list. I brought a bottle up from the cellar, and he said he'd tell his friends to stop by. We have a great selection of wines available by the glass, including Riesling and now the Furmint as well. We always offer a taste before we serve the wine what was ordered, even if that is only a glass of wine. This will give us a great opportunity to show our wine lovers something very special, the Furmint. We want to show them what the Tokaji Furmint can do." He went on, "I like Furmint as an apéritif. And while we're not pairing them with specific dishes—we don't want to limit them—there are a few entrées on the menu that stand out. The Mád Furmint will pair beautifully with our 'nduja crusted scallops served with buttermilk cauliflower purée, Brussels sprouts and sorrel. It will also pair well with ling cod served over roasted quince, neeps and kale. On our lunch menu, we feature a salad of poached pear and fennel with grilled radicchio, quince and Golden Blythe aged goat's cheese that will go nicely with Mád's Dry by Tokaj. Really, both wines are so versatile; they'll be a great accom- paniment with most white meats and seafood—especially rainbow trout." "Dry Furmint is already a superstar in Europe," Joseph professes. "I think they'll be a great addition to our wine list. We're providing something truly unique to our clientele. I'm very proud that we'll be the first to introduce Mád wines to Toronto." Mád Furmint made its debut in the States, imported by Vinum Tokaj International LLC and distributed exclusively in North America by Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits. Recognizing the passion and dedication of the Szepsys and Károly Kovács, co-owner of the winery, to produce these rising wines—working closely with Eniko" Magyar, Project Director of Wines of Excellence, as well as U.S. importer and market builder Attila Balla, President of Vinum Tokaj International— The Tasting Panel sup- ports The Somm Journal's initiative in declaring 2017 The Year of Furmint—a unique, quality-driven, site-specific and gastronomic beauty of a white wine. Dry by Tokaj Is Set to Conquer U.S. Retail Chains As a pioneer in producing and representing Hungarian village-level wines, Mad Wine has been working together with U.S. importer and brand builder Vinum Tokaj International LLC and the Tokaj region's biggest producer, Grand Tokaj winery, to develop the first regional-level dry Furmint for international markets. Grand Tokaj is the leading Hungarian winemaker under state ownership, a guardian and protector of national winemaking traditions in its position as the largest winery in the historical Tokaj-Hegyalja Wine Region. Formerly operating under the name Tokaj Kereskedo"ház, the winery set off on the path of renewal in 2013, as part of the company's fresh commitment to the production of quality wines. Accounting for some 40 percent of the region's total wine production, as an integrating force in the region, it purchases grapes from more than 1,400 small growers working some 1,150 hectares (2,841 acres) of cropland. A storage tank facility of 66,000 hectolitres capacity was opened in 2014, providing the winery the technolog- ical conditions necessary to produce wine of international standards. A bottling plant with an annual capacity of 10 million bottles is also structurally complete. Reflecting a new spirit of winemaking and co-operation, new release Dry by Tokaj Furmint was prepared under the guidance of István Szepsy Jr. and Károly Áts, who has been the company's chief enologist since 2013, working formerly with Royal Tokaji Wine Company. "I was born in a wine region I regard as a miracle," says Áts. "This is my homeland. I was born into a fam- ily where my father and mother taught me to respect and love nature." With almost a quarter of a century of experience as a winemaker, the choice of wine region in which to pursue his career was never in doubt. Naturally, wine can be made elsewhere, but what Áts has always desired is to show the true capabilities of Tokaj. And he has proven successful in this endeavor, as the many facets of the Tokaj region and the special character of its historical terroirs can genuinely be felt through his wines. The market and brand builders of Furmint, Enikö Magyar and Attila Balla. Dry by Tokaj is the first regional-level dry Furmint. PHOTO: FERENC DANCSECS