Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/913027
120 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017/2018 { furmint ambassador } A HIGH-END ITALIAN seafood restaurant in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip might seem an unlikely place for wine-loving Hungarians to meet. Yet the team from Vinum Tokaj International and the Szent Tamás Winery—makers of their namesake label and MÁD Dry Furmint—proved there are exceptions to that rule when they recently convened at Costa di Mare in the Wynn Las Vegas. Attila Balla, President of Vinum Tokaj International, and Enikő Magyar, Project Director of Wines of Excellence, were joined during their "Furmint Ambassador" series trip to Las Vegas by Szent Tamás Winery Co-Owner Károly Kovács, Tamás Nagy, who oversees the marketing and education at the winery, and Costa di Mare Wine Manager Miklós Katona. Katona, a native Hungarian and Advanced Sommelier, moved to the U.S. 15 years ago—eight of which he's spent with the Wynn. He's been carrying Hungarian wines on Costa di Mare's wine list for four years now and is a passionate proponent of Hungarian dry Furmint, which has only begun to make a splash in the United States in the past year or so. Farro, walnuts, butternut squash, cranberry, and lemon vinaigrette served inside a roasted acorn squash pairs perfectly with the Szent Tamás 2013 Furmint. Connecting Cultures Chef Mark LoRusso and Wine Manager Miklós Katona, both of Costa di Mare at the Wynn Las Vegas. HOW HUNGARIAN FURMINT PROVES ITS PAIRABILITY WITH ANY CUISINE by Jesse Hom-Dawson / photos by Mona Shield Payne