THE
SOMM JOURNAL
István Szepsy Jr., 18th-generation winemaker for Szent Tamás Winery and Mad Wine. Over 70 percent of the world’s zeolite is in Mád, and Szepsy Jr. describes it as “a mineral sponge.”
DECLARING 2017 THE YEAR OF
Furmint! PHOTO: ALEXANDER RUBIN
Touring Historic Tokaj A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE IN HUNGARY WITH SZENT TAMÁS WINERY AND MAD WINE
Digging it! We’re
{ somm con recap }
by Meridith May
mind beyond the flavor profile of a wine to create a virtual reality–like image of the origin of the liquid is an academic step towards really getting it. Digging it. Group consciousness allows for sharing thoughts on the nature of a particular wine: learning about its natural environment, its geomorphology and climate. Led by Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator Eric Hemer (Senior VP, Director of Wine Education for Southern Glazer’s), an audience of more than 45 SommCon attendees paid rapt attention to a most fascinating set of examples from seven countries—a deliberately random set of red and white wines, the purpose of which was to introduce the complexity of each respective terroir.
PHOTO: MIKE MORSE
THE SOMM JOURNAL’S SEMINAR SERIES, DIGGING IN TO UNIQUE TERROIR, GOES BIG AT SOMMCON
Digging in means going deeper. For the industry professional, expanding one’s
Moderated by Eric Hemer, MS, MW, CWE and Senior VP, Director of Wine Education for Southern Glazer’s (middle), our panel consisted of Manuel Louzada, CEO of Tenute del Mondo; Steve Peck, Red Winemaker for J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines; Nicolai St. George, Chief Winemaker, Giesen Estate; Vit torio Marzotto, family member, Santa Margherita Group USA; Boyd Morrison, Winemaker for MacMurray Ranch Estate Vineyards; Joseph Herzog, co-owner, Herzog Wine Cellars/Royal Wine Corp.; István Szepsy Jr., Chief Winemaker, Szent Tamás Winery; and Toshio Ueno, MSS, CSW, FWS and VP/Executive Instructor, Saké School of America (not pictured). { SOMMjournal.com } 93
Hungary
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Region: Tokaj
Wine: MÁD 2015 Furmint
Wine: Szent Tamás 2012 Furmint
96 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017
István Szepsy Jr. is the 18th-generation winemaker for Szent Tamás Winery in Tokaj, Hungary. PHOTO: CAL BINGHAM
At SommCon 2016 (from left to right): Attila Balla, President and CEO of Vinum Tokaj International LLC; Eniko ˝ Magyar, Project Director, Wines of Excellence; Meridith May, Publisher/Editorial Director, The Somm Journal; and István Szepsy Jr. winemaker for Szent Tamás and Mad Wine Winery.
PHOTO: MIKE MORSE
Hungary’s most northeastern region is celebrated Tokaj, home to sweet Tokaji wines that date at least back to their first mention in 1067. Six hundred years later, Louis XIV would proclaim it “Wine of Kings and the King of Wines.” But István Szepsy Jr. and his renowned winemaker father, István Szepsy Sr., have been the innovators of a new movement of dry Furmint. Thanks to them, the indigenous grape that is the foundation for Tokaj’s historic wines is meeting a modern palate. While the first dry Furmint wines emerged in 2000, it was in 2011 that Szepsy Jr. created the first vineyard-selected dry Furmint for Szent Tamás Winery and then introduced MÁD, the first village-level dry Furmint of the region (named after the village in Tokaj). The Tokaj region was once home to over 400 active volcanoes. Over millennia, volcanic eruptions and hydrothermal activity created cycles of heating and cooling that are partly responsible for exposed layers of permeable, rocky, low-pH soils in which roots burrow down as far as 65 feet below the surface. The vines possess such incredible suction power at these great depths that water sources are easily found, eliminating the need for irrigation. MÁD Furmint 2015 exhibits a fragrant, tropical nose with roundness of guava, kiwi and an edgier lime zest. White floral tones, apples and granitic, saline stripes on the mid-palate make for good company across the palate. Szent Tamás Furmint 2012 is complex due to being fermented and aged in 200liter Hungarian oak barrels for 12 months; local bentonite is used for fining. On the nose, notes reminiscent of an Alsatian Riesling come to the fore: apricot, nectarine and jasmine. But on the palate, bracing acidity leans in to sear the pineapple, peach and woodsy tones; the finish is rich and generously broad.
THE NEW TASTE OF THE WORLD
TOKAJ was established as a closed wine
2017 will be the “YEAR OF FURMINT”
region in 1737 by a Royal Decree.
in North America.
YES
YES
NO
FURMINT has been produced in Tokaj since before Columbus reached the Americas. YES
NO
a considerable amount of gold. YES
FURMINT is an indigenous variety from the world’s first classified wine region, Tokaj. YES
TOKAJ’S VINEYARDS contain
NO
TOKAJI could only be obtained by prescription in the 1900’s. YES
NO
NO
NO
TOKAJI wines produced between the
THE SZEPSY FAMILY has been
17th and 19th century were among
producing wines in the Tokaj
the most expensive in the world. YES
Wine Region for 18 generations. YES
NO
TOKAJI WINE’S positive physiological
NO
Pope Benedict XIV famously said:
effects were already demonstrated
“Blessed be the soil that hath
in 1524 by Paracelsus, the renowned
grown thee, and blessed I am
alchemist and doctor. YES
NO
who drink thee”. YES
For more information and facts about Mad Furmint please visit: winesofexcellence.com
NO