CleverRoot

s u m m e r 2 0 1 7 | 3 7 s u m m e r 2 0 1 7 | 3 7 An "Astonishing" Dry White On a particularly sunny Sunday afternoon in Toronto, I chatted with EPIC Restaurant & Lounge Manager Joseph Safian about his visit to the Tokaj region and his impres- sion of the wines from Mád. In addition to managing Epic, the main dining room of the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Joseph oversees the hotel's wine program as well. "I found myself wondering why they hadn't considered making dry Furmint before," he muses. The answer to this question is as complex as the Szepsys' wines. In part, Tokaj was forced to rebuild its crumbling wine industry following the communist era. Szepsy Sr.'s efforts initially focused on recovering much of what was lost, including data about Furmint's myriad clones. The winemaker explains: "I spent my life in the vineyards, and you see that this vine behaves differently from the other, and that some are not so fat, and some leaves are smaller, the nodes are shorter and the flowering is earlier. And you feel that there is something different—the question was and still is, where can we find those parcels that will give the grapes a special aroma and structure?" The elder Szepsy continues, "In 2000, something happened, we made some off-dry wine for an American brand. It was during this time that we discovered a lot of things. I began to study the terroir, but our client didn't believe that soil was so important. We started to go in a different direction, but one thing was clear—this dry wine was astonish- ing; it was from a late harvest, and it was very, very complex." On the other side of the continent in sun- soaked Southern California, Hotel Irvine's Hungarian-born Food & Beverage Director, Gabor Pamer, shared a similar view. "I was quite young and still living in Hungary when communism ended. I want to be very honest when it comes to Hungarian winemak- ing—we struggled back then. It was 'more is better,' and that was true everywhere. The wineries in Eger started reducing their yields; it was really nice to see that Mád Village has done the same. The first time I visited Tokaj, it was all about volume. When I went back again, there was this incredible change. Forward-thinking winemakers like the Szepsy family want to bring in new technology and new techniques to the region. It was amazing to see how much effort and energy they pour into the wines they produce." A Change in Taste The other, more pragmatic reason for the stylistic shift toward dry Furmint is that fine dining itself has changed. "There's very little opportunity to sell dessert wines to our guests. We no longer have the etiquette of fin- ishing a six-course meal with a sweet wine," Safian explains. Not even, it would seem, in a hotel as storied as the Fairmont Royal York. Furmint is evolving because it must, and we can see this trend—the gradual transition from sweet to dry wine styles—taking place in regions such as Portugal's Douro Valley and, to a lesser extent, even in Sauternes. In change lies opportunity, and with Furmint the Szepsy's have stripped away gilded layers to reveal the grape's underlying structure. It's always been there—like an artist's underpaint- ing hidden beneath fat-over-lean layers of luminous oil paint and varnish. "Furmint is such a unique variety. As a dry wine, it's aromatic and crisp, and the nose is very, very sophisticated. You have these great characteristics in the Mád wines—tropi- cal 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 restaurant Eats and you will find the vibrant and energetic Red Bar in the middle of the hotel's lobby. To make our food and bever- age 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 differ- ent 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 posi- tioned on the menu at EPIC, Safian confides, "I just had an interesting surprise last week. I was talking with one of my regular custom- ers, 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 accompaniment with most white meats and seafood—especially rainbow trout." Joseph Safian, EPIC Restaurant & Lounge Manager, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto. Hungarian-born Gabor Pamer is Food & Beverage Director of Hotel Irvine in Orange County, CA. CREDIT: NICK WONG PHOTO: MARGARET SOSS

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