Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Wine and Food of the Giro 2020 Stage 17 Bassano del Grappa to Madonna di Campiglio

 Where are we? Off to climb some mountains.

Bassano del Grappa: In the heart of Veneto, crossed by the river Brenta, the town of Bassano del Grappa is characterized by tourists for its cleanliness, elegance and order.
The two welcoming squares (Garibaldi and Libertà) are protected by refined facades of late medieval buildings, above all stands the town’s civic tower which rises 43 meters.
The town of Bassano del Grappa, at the foot of the Monte Grappa of the same name, the scene of the bloody battles of the First World War, also consists of a vast industrial area specializing in the sectors: Goldsmith, metalworking, furniture.

Specialties: Among the food and wine specialties of Bassano and its vast area we find dishes of all kinds. The Bigoli di Bassano, a typical and tasty first course, the Bassano asparagus washed down with Pove del Grappa Olive Oil, and the Polenta and Asiago, to be enjoyed in the coldest months of the year

Madonna di Campiglio: Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo and Val Rendena (western Trentino) are a mosaic of naturalistic beauties where to live a mountain experience 360° around. In these places, the alpine setting shows its best: on the east side there are the Brenta Dolomites-UNESCO World Heritage, on the west side you can admire the shiny glaciers of the Adamello and Presanella.

Specialties: The traditional food of Val Rendena sinks its roots into a poor past and features wholesome ingredients and exquisitely authentic flavors like the cornflour for polenta, garden produce, herbs and other aromas. Sausages and cheeses, polenta, mushrooms and wild game are typical Val Rendena delicacies.


The stage: Up they would go. More than once even. 
The break of the day had some interesting names that we had heard before: Oh and it was beautiful: Some trivia: The on-screen graphic gives us some information about the breakaway, telling us that AG2R's Geoffrey Bouchard's favorite music is Jacques Brel and Snoop Dogg.
Forty two kilometers to go and our leaders were:  Ilnur Zakarin, Thomas De Gendt, Harm Vanhoucke, Héctor Carretero, Dario Cataldo, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, Ben O'Connor, Rohan Dennis, Hermann Pernsteiner with Davide Villella chasing at 24 seconds. The peloton was eight minutes back. 
Forty kilometers to go and Villella had reached the front group.
It was very much looking like the gc contenders were waiting for the Stelvio tomorrow.
Up front, the chase group joined the leaders leaving fifteen riders up front. Twenty three kilometers to go and they had 6:41. Thirteen kilometers and it was under six minutes and riders were dropping from the group.
Just over ten kilometers to go and there was action in the peloton as they jockeyed for position before the final climb. 
Ahead, attack by O'Connor. Four kilometers to go and he had 22 seconds.
Behind in the gc group, there were only around eleven riders.
Two kilometers to go and O'Connor had 29 seconds. After yesterday, it was great to see him take the stage.
As for the gc group? Well, nothing. Time to start humming that song from Annie.
And the GC:


The wine: 2015 Giuseppe Quintarelli Bianco Secco Cà del Merlo
From the importer:   Blend: Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Sauvignon Bianco, Chardonnay, Saorin
 
It is impossible to speak about Quintarelli without superlatives. The name itself stands for so much: the family, the wines, a style, a tradition, a way of doing things. After all the time, effort, patience, and care that go into the making of a bottle of Quintarelli, it truly does mean so much more than wine. Giuseppe, fondly known as “Bepi” to those closest to him, was a perfectionist in every way. From the beautiful handwritten labels, to the best possible quality cork, to the exquisite wine in the bottles, the Quintarelli name is a stamp of authenticity and the ultimate indication of an artisanal, handmade, uncompromising wine of the highest quality.

Nothing is ever hurried at Quintarelli. The wines take their time and are given the time they need. In the still, quiet calm of the family cellars above the town of Negrar, along the winding via del Cerè, deep in the Valpolicella zone, the wine from the family’s hillside vineyards ages patiently and gracefully in large casks until it is ready. Every release is a masterpiece, a testament to time, tradition, skill, and passion, the creations of a master artisan. You can’t really compare these wines to any other in the region, or anywhere else in the world. They really are in a class and a category all their own. 

The Food: Bigoli de Bassano
The local tourist site tells me that: BIGOLI DE BASSAN are a particular type of spaghetti with a very dark color, with a wider section and greater consistency, obtained with a revolutionary production technique and with a wise dosage of flour.
This recipe is then used for other products, in particular for PENE DE ALPIN DE BASSAN (pennine rigate) and for SUBIOTI DE BASSAN (maccheroncini rigati). To this triad are added the TAJADELE DE BASSAN, the LASAGNE DE BASSAN and the CANNELLONI DE BASSAN.
There is a company that has greatly contributed to making these Bigoli famous and it is BORELLA & C Srl which was founded in 1935 with the name PASTIFICIO BASSANESE. Thanks to the use of high quality ingredients in a short time the
Bassanese Pastificio has achieved a great success of notoriety.
The innate taste for good and genuine things, the lively curiosity to
dust off the ancient recipes of the local housewives and the continuous
search for product improvement lead to the famous
BIGOLI DE BASSAN.
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