Friday, May 22, 2015

Wine & Food of the Giro 2015 Stage 13: Bussola Ca' del Laito & Mostarda

Montecchio Maggiore - Jesolo 153 KM - Flat

Montecchio Maggiore is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto. It is located approximately 12 kilometers west of Vicenza and 43 km east of Verona. Two castles are claimed to be the inspiration for the Romeo and Juliet legend: "The first castle is the Castello della Villa, or Romeo’s Castle, built by Cangrande II della Scala in 1354 and dismantled by the Venetians in 1514. What remains are the perimeter wall with the donjon and the tower, which are the background of theatre performances and summer events. At a distance of few hundred meters, a little above, we find the Castello della Bella Guardia, or Juliet’s Castle, more spectacular because its reconstruction allowed the builders, among other things, to place a restaurant inside."

Jesolo: The tourist website tells me that first information about Jesolo as touristic centre go back to the end of the 19th Century when the first bathing establishment was opened on the beach in front of Piazza Marconi. After the Great War the touristic activity grew quickly and villas, holiday camps and hotels were build. In 1937 there were in Jesolo 47 licences of rooms for rent, 24 public facilities and 4 season hotels. 

The stage: Should be a day for the sprinters and again, it rains. The break of the day consists of Zabel, Pineau and Frapporti. With about one hundred kilometers to go, they are forced to stop at a railway crossing. Behind, the peloton is slowed to allow them to regain their gap. 

 

Meanwhile, I contemplate the Giro Twitter feeds use of emjois:



Fifty kilometers to go and the gap was under a minute. The peloton, of course, wants to catch the break. But if they catch them too early, there will be other escape attempts, so often on stages like this, they let them dangle for as long as possible. Usually, they get the timing right, though as we have seen several times already in this Giro, they mistime things.
On Bein, Kirby began discussing the drop in the local stork population, which is apparently dropping, because there are fewer chimneys for them to nest on. So yes, a quiet stage so far.  

Seventeen kilometers to go and the break was reeled in. It looked like things were set up for a sprint finish, until a caduta, just outside the three kilometer point. Among those down, Contador. Porte was also involved and because it was outside the three kilometer point, they would lose time. They both finished the stage on bikes borrowed from teammates.
Ahead there would be a sprint, but more importantly, Contador lost pink. The time trial tomorrow should be very interesting.

Stage:
 

GC: 
 

Wine: Bussola Ca' del Laito Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore

From the importer:  

Varietal notes: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara and others.
Vineyard: Sourced from the Ca' del Laito vineyard. 380-400m in elevation.
Orientation: Southwest.
Soil: Clay.
Viticulture: Work in the vineyard is measured by the months and the seasons. In order to avoid excessive impoverishment of the lands, the various soils are periodically analysed and a programme of interventions with organic fertilizers is drawn up.
Vinification: The grapes were crushed towards the middle of October and fermentation was initiated immediately via inoculation of selected yeasts. Following a fermentation of 10 days at ambient temperature the wine was racked with a residual sugar of 20 g/l. It was then, after another 10 days, racked again off the gross deposit. In March 90% of the wine underwent a week-long refermentation on skins of the Amarone.
Aging: IIt was then racked again, assembled with the remaining 10% and placed in 700-litre second-passage tonneaux of Styrian oak. After 17 months in wood it was assembled in a single mass, undergoing a light fining with egg-whites. Normally it is allowed to age for three months before release onto the market.
Production: 15,000 bottles produced.
Notes: Ca’del Laito was a place-name for a vineyard that straddles the ridge above Quintarelli. Tommaso purchased the vineyard (and the little workhouse there) from Masi in ~2002.

I say : Deep red, full but not heavy. Black currants, balsamic and  cherries, nice acid on the finish. Even better on day two. I liked this much more than I had expected to. 

Food: Winter Fruit Mostarda from Preserving by the Pint
A canning project, though you could easily make this and store it in the fridge if you do not want to water bath process. 

What is mostarda? I like this quote from Saveur:



Mostarda is not mustard. It is not sweet or acidic, not salty or spicy—at least, it's none of those things alone. It is made mostly of fruit, but is neither jelly nor jam nor dessert. It is closest, maybe, to a relish … but what a relish! It's confident stuff, best served with meats—its traditional counterpart is bollito misto, an assortment of boiled cuts—or cheeses that can take its sharpness. I ate my first bites of mostarda in the Italian town of Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, spooned over milky Monte Veronese cheese. I'll never forget its delicious bite. It's a condiment that makes a meal. —Tamar Adler, author of An Everlasting Meal (Scribner, 2011)

This version I made includes apples, pears, and dried cherries. But given that it is stone fruit season, you might try this recipe, from the same author. 

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