Wines of the Giro Stage 7 Recanati – Rocca Di Cambio

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=07&lang=en

An uphill finish! Stage 7 takes the riders from Recanati to Rocca Di Cambio. Rocca Di Cambio was a popular destination for finishing stages of the Giro in the 1960′s having hosted stage finishes in ’65, ’66 and ’68. Shortly after leaving L’Aquila, the climb to Rocca Di Cambio begins. The final 17.5km climb is at an average of 4.5%, peaking at 9%  not far from the summit. 

Cycling Weekly says:

On paper - or screen - today's sharp, uphill finish looks like it should make the overall contenders show their hand for the first time. However, many will be mindful that there are still two weeks and some proper high mountains still to come.

What we'll probably get, then, is a whittled down group of riders heading up the Rocca di Cambio all nervously looking at each other and with no real time gains made by any of the big contenders in isolation. Although we'd love to be proved wrong.

And off they went. Cue a break, this time with four riders: Reto Hollenstein, Matteo Rabottini, 
Fumiyuki Beppu and Mirko Selvaggi. With about 80k from the finish, they were ahead of the peloton by around eight minutes, while Eurosport discussed the difficult stages coming in the last week of the race. I feel sometimes for the cycling announcers, they have a lot of air time to fill and there are many moments with little action to describe. With around 68 or so kilometers left the discussion focused on the languages spoken by the different teams. 

Just around that point it was time for a weekly Ferry Plaza farmers market trip. This is often a problem during live races, but to my great delight, I discovered that with the Giro iphone app I can watch while anywhere. So apricots and racing, though I admit to frequent shopping breaks because things did get interesting today as Astana's Paolo Tiralongo came around Michele Scarponi in the last few meters for the stage victory.  Frank Schleck finished third ahead of Joaquim Rodriguez, while Garmin's Ryder Hesjedal finished fifth and became the first Canadian to wear the magia rosa. Do go and see this great picture at Podium Cafe of the stage winner after crossing the line.

Stage: Paolo Tiralongo

Maglia Rosa: Ryder Hesjedal 

General classification after stage 7

1	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	26:16:53
2	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:00:15
3	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:00:17
4	Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:21
5	Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:26
6	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
7	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team	0:00:35
8	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:40
9	Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team	0:00:45
10	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep

http://www.vinusinc.com/Jasci.html

The wine: Jasci Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2009 $16.99 from  67 Wine

The importer says: The generous vineyards of Jasci have been handed down from generation to generation, forming an irreplaceable heritage and tie to the Earth. Located in the Abruzzo region, the sunny rolling hills between sea and mountain coupled with old fashioned techniques and modern technology have resulted in wines synonymous with quality and genuineness.
The Jasci family personally participates in every stage of their wine production throughout the art of their viticulture, while respecting Mother Earth and her best products. The wines are tenderly cared for throughout creation, and then are stored in the Jasci cellar, which was constructed and prepared in part by using modern and functional organic architecture, where they rest and mature with close attention.
Since 1980, Jasci wines have been certified organic by the Soil and Health Association, which guarantees the organic production of their grapes in the Colli in Vasto and the Masseria Martina in Pollutri, as well as all the winemaking processes.
The vineyards are cared for daily in order to identify preventive measures needed in each of the winemaking phases, which preserves the genuineness of the fruits of that delicate balance between technology and tradition that is Jasci.
Winery website: www.jasci.it 

Ruby red, with hints of mature red fruits, jams and slight notes of cinnamon and vanilla. Balanced and harmonious with a touch of pleasant tannins

Best with the following Abruzzese cuisine: Potato gnocchi, “sagnette e fagioli” (pasta with beans), lamb, and stuffed rabbit

I say: Organic! Yup, ruby red. Cherries and tannin. Easy to drink. Paired well with my burger.