Monday, May 10, 2021

Wine and Food of the Giro 2021 Stage 3: Biella to Canale


Where are we? Still in Piedmont! 
Italia.It tells me that the town Biella is divided into two main sections: Biella-Piazzo is the Medieval district, dominated by the magnificent Palazzo Cisterna and ancient churches; in Biella-Piano lie the Duomo, the pre-Romanesque Baptistery and the Museum of the Biellese Territory, documenting local history in great detail. 
A land tied to its faith, Biella is also the location of the Sacro Monte di Oropa, a monument whose Sanctuary is listed as s UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Biennial Religious and Cultural Tourism Market is held here as well.

They tell me that Canale has approx. 5,500 inhabitants. The town is a historic gem with many churches and it also offers a lively and interesting market on Sundays, which is very much worth a visit. The town is located in the vineyard region of Roero, which is particularly known for the production of the Arneis grape used in the production of white wines. The area has many good restaurants that can satisfy anyone who appreciates good food.

The Giro specialties:
Biella: Biella’s food and wine is fully counted among the excellences of Piedmont. Among the best known cheeses we can find the Toma, hard paste, made with cow’s milk, following the ancient Alpine tradition. It is also produced with full-fat milk and it became Maccagno type and with half skimmed milk. The tomes of the Biella valleys have the recognition of the D.O.C. by the Piedmont Region.
These cheeses are also the main ingredients for two great typical dishes: the ‘pulenta cunscia’, a soft cream made with corn, that has to be cooked for a long time in a cauldron, the recipe is a mix of  local cheese melted with tasty farm butter and the ‘ris an cagnun’, that is a risotto made with toma and fried butter.
Among the most well known sausages we have: ‘salam d’ula’, that is preserved in fat and made with meet, salt, pepper and sometimes red wine. Others local dishes are “salam d’asu” with donkey meat and those based on goat meat. The production of “salam ‘d patata” is more localized, then the “Paletta of Coggiola”, a shoulder ham flavored with salt and pepper, stuffed into the bladder and dried in the air.
The Biella desserts: the torcetti which are leavened, crumbly biscuits in an oval donut shape. The “paste ‘d melia” biscuits made with corn flour. Canestrelli, fragrant wafer pods with chocolate and hazelnuts.
The great variety of blooms allows to select a wide variety of types of honey: acacia, chestnut, linden, rhododendron, dandelion and wildflower, just to name the most common.

Canale: On these hills, whether they are Langhe, Roero or Monferrato, we cannot talk about gastronomy without mentioning the rarest and most precious product: tuber magnatum pico, the famous white truffle, which in nearby Alba has its “headquarters” with the International Fair that takes place in autumn. If Roero is certainly known for its wines, nevertheless in these limestone soils have been cultivated over the centuries other excellent productions. For example, peaches certainly made the agricultural history of Canale: their cultivations started at the beginning of the twentieth century, when viticulture was put in crisis by the phylloxera and by some terrible hailstorms. Since then, the “peaches of Canale”, with their thick skin, firm pulp and characteristic flavor, became a typical Piedmontese product. Another typical fruit of Canale is the Madonna’s chestnut, also called “Canalina”: particularly appreciated for its early maturation, it is one of the oldest chestnuts in Europe. Another typical product of Canale is roast ham, the result of a centuries-old tradition started by the “Filipin”, some local butchers who found a tasty way to preserve pork legs, roasting and spicing them. It is prepared with a mixture of aromatic herbs and Arneis wine before being cooked in a wood oven. The result is a ham with an intense pink color, soft and tasty. Talking about more recent traditions, a typical dessert of Canale is La Douchesse. It is a chocolate pastry with hazelnuts, almonds and liqueur. The secret recipe has been kept since the early twentieth century by the Sacchero pastry shop (via Roma 39), where it was invented and where it is still produced in an artisanal way. 

The stage: Off we go. The question of the day may be whether the true sprinters can hang on until the end and challenge for the win. Once upon a time, this stage screamed Sagan. But now? Less clear.
With just over Just over 53k kilometers to go, the gap was 3:30. The riders in the break were, Samuele Rivi (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team), Alexis Gougeard AG2R Citroën Team), Andrii Ponomar and Simon Pellaud (Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec), Samuele Zoccarato (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane), c (Eolo-Kometa Cycling Team), Lars van den Berg (Groupama-FDJ), and Taco Van Der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux). 
As they went on, both the break and the peloton would grow smaller. Sprinters would fall off, get back on and hope to simply maintain contact.

Just under 16 kilometers to go and the catch looked like it would be made soon. Jumping from the bunch Tony Gallopin and Ciccone. The question was, for Sagan's team, now that they had gotten almost everything they wanted from the day, could they keep things together and finish this off?
Just over 8 kilometers to go and Taco was out front solo. Hard to not cheer for him after his day's effort. Three kilometers to go and he had :18 over the closest chasers. Insert Taco Tuesday on a Monday joke here. Taco Tuesday comes early, maybe? And, wow, he did it!   Stage results:
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Taco van der Hoorn (Ned) Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux4:21:29
2Davide Cimolai (Ita) Israel Start-up Nation0:00:04
3Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
4Elia Viviani (Ita) Cofidis
5Patrick Bevin (NZl) Israel Start-up Nation
6Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Alpecin-Fenix
7Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) UAE Team Emirates
8Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education-Nippo
9Stefano Oldani (Ita) Lotto Soudal
10Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Trek-Segafredo


Still in pink: Ganna



The wine: 2016 Barolo “La Tartufaia” Giulia Negri
Back to our friends at Kermit Lynch for a wine that I really loved. Too soon to call it the wine of the race? Maybe.

They describe it as: La Tartufaia is a divinely atmospheric truffle forest in the heart of La Morra where Giulia’s vineyards run parallel. The wines produced here, from clay-rich soil, are textbook examples of classically structured Barolo typical of the area. Rounded tannins, salty minerality, and pure Nebbiolo fruit make this wine an essential selection for any cellar, especially in such a stellar vintage.


The Food: Really, the answer should be truffles, but they are not in season and I admit to not loving truffle oil. So instead, honey. I would have liked to try dandelion, just because, but instead: wildflower to pair with a bit of leftover gorgonzola. 
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