Thursday, October 22, 2020

Wine and Food of the Giro 2020 Stage 18: Pinzolo to Laghi di Cancano

Where are we?

Pinzolo: 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. All around, the delicate frame of the Adamello Brenta Geopark with its extraordinary richness of flora, fauna, alpine lakes, waterfalls and ancient forests populated by brown bears.

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 area also features a variety of grappas flavored with wild berries and other mountain plants, such as dwarf pine and woodruff, as well as a unique spirit distilled from gentian root, which is made exclusively in the valley and it is ideal as a digestive after even the most lavish of meals. Of particular note the cheeses of the valleys made from the milk of Rendena cows, the only breed of cattle that is native to the Trentino area and has Slow Food status.

Laghi di Cancano:Sport, nature, wellness and many events for people of all ages: there’s nothing that Valdidentro can’t offer. It is the ideal destination to live different and exciting experiences. Situated at the foot of the well known Cima Piazzi, its 24,000  hectares makes it the largest  municipality in the province of Sondrio. Valdidentro boasts locations and landscapes of exceptional beauty like the Cancano Lakes. These artificial lakes are located in the heart of  the Stelvio National Park  and “protected” by the Fraele towers, the symbol of Valdidentro.

Specialties: Fascinating alpine land, renown for the beauty of its natural landscapes, Valtellina is rich and generous in gastronomy too. A long tradition of local products, the centuries-old culture, a fruit growing land, the patience and determination of its people, these are the ingredients of Valtellina products which are now protected by the European trade marks. You can enjoy a gourmet experience in elegant restaurants and charming mountain huts. From the alpine herbs of our mountain had its origin one of the most famous amaro in Italy: the Braulio. Pizzoccheri, apples, bresaola and wines are only few of the many culinary excellences of the territory. Butter, milk, yoghurt and cheese: in Valtellina there’s a whole world of taste to be discovered from the milk stores to the holiday farms, not to mention the mountain cottages where people still work in the respect of the balance and rhythm of Nature. Valtellina Casera DOP, Bitto DOP and Scimudin are three characteristic products of the cheese-making tradition which have become very well known.




The stage: So here we are at perhaps the most anticipated stage of the race.     A bit more about what was ahead:
Up they would go and up and up and up.


To the surprise of no one,  as they climbed the peloton got very small, very quickly. The virtual leader jersey on the road would be taken by Kelderman, but could he keep it?

Under 10 kilometers to go and Bilbao and Fuglsang dropped Kelderman, who was the virtual race leader. Meanwhile, Dennis dropped from the front. By the way his Stelvio climbing time: 1h10'16''
Eight kilometers to go and it was1'24'' to Fuglsang and Bilbao and 1'40'' to Kelderman. As they continued to climb, Bilbao woulds drop Fuglsang.
Nice scenery when you are not on a bike.Behind, Nibali was picked up by Almeida's group. With 3 kilometers to go, Bilbao was at 48", Kelderman at 1'42" and the Maglia Rosa group at 4'32".
The two man sprint at the top won by Hindley.
Kelderman in fifth. Was it close enough for pink? Probably.
The answer: yes. But it was very close at the top of the top ten. It should be an interesting weekend indeed. And in the gc race:
The Wine: Foradori Nosiola Fontanasanta Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
From Eric Asimov in the New York Times:
She took on the job of studying the history of the grape. Over the last 25 years she has worked relentlessly to restore its genetic diversity so that the wines would be deeper, purer and more complex.

That we still have teroldego to enjoy at all is due to the labors of a few dedicated growers and winemakers, especially Elisabetta Foradori herself. She was barely more than a teenager in 1985 when she took over her family’s estate. Her father had died young, and the wine culture of the prime teroldego zone, Campo Rotaliano, a wide plain in Trentino, had become largely industrial. The dominant clone of teroldego in the area, as Ms. Foradori tells it, had been selected to emphasize quantity over quality, resulting in anemic, uninteresting wines.
“A whole variety had to be rebuilt, viticultural practices had to be brought back to quality levels, the soil had to be enriched with life, the plants brought to an equilibrium,” she recounted in an e-mail. “I myself have changed with the variety, and I find myself to be a different person, watching and listening to the land and to nature in a different way.”

The Food: 
 Eporediesi cookies

  • 100 gr - 2/3 Cup raw hazelnuts
  • 50 gr - 1/3 Cup unpeeled sweet almonds
  • 100 gr - 1 scant Cup cocoa powder
  • 1  pack of vanillin (0.5 gr - 0.16 oz circa)
  • 3-4 gr - 1 1/4 teaspoon of powder cinnamon
  • 50 gr - 1/3 Cup toasted hazelnuts
  • 220gr - 1 Cup + 1.5 tablespoon white sugar
  • 80 gr - 3 egg whites
  • 1 pinch of salt
Finely chop the almonds and the hazelnuts
whip up the egg whites till firm and fold in all the ingredients.
Mix evenly and grease the cookie sheet.
With a pastry bag lay down the cookies: 5 cm - 2 inches long tubes wide about 1.5cm - 0.5 inch. 
With your wet palm gently squeeze them down.
Sprinkle with granulated sugar and let them rest for 2-3 hours.
Bake them at 165C - 329 F for 18-20min.
Be extra careful not to overbake them as they must be crunchy outside and soft inside.
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