Sunday, May 8, 2022

Wine and Food of the Giro 2022 Stage 3 Kaposvár to Balatonfüred

Where are we? Having a final, likely sprint day in Hungary!

Kaposvár: The Giro tells me The eclectic Secessionist jewellery box of József Rippl-Rónai: Kaposvár Only 1.5 hours by car from Lake Balaton, Kaposvár guarantees you’ll not have a moment without being surrounded by magical sights in its city centre. Considered one-of-a-kind throughout Europe in terms of architecture, the city boasts more than 220 eclectic and Secessionist buildings. It is unrivalled on the continent in terms of the number of fabulous historical edifices in such a small area. Visit one of the most significant towns of Transdanubia and admire the spectacular eclectic-Secessionist city centre.

Balatonfüred: Central Europe’s largest lake offers unmissable experiences all-year-round. Every summer, the nearly 200 km2 lake warms up easily, with its gradual depth attractive to those wishing to splash around.

The food: The Balaton cherry is a  sour cherry native to Hungary, where it was originally named Újfehértói Fürtös. It was introduced to the United States in the 1980s and is now grown here commercially.
The Balaton is a Morello-type sour cherry with a dark burgundy color throughout both the skin and flesh  and a sweet-tart flavor 


The stage: For Mother's Day, a sprint stage. Our break of the day, Mattia Bais, Filippo Tagliani and, Samuele Rivi, was not given a lot of rope.
Given how quiet the stage appeared to be, it was time for some reading on crimes against Italian cuisine. Approaching 100 kilometers to go and the gap was around three minutes.
Our first abandonment of the race: Tratnik. He had been injured on the opening day and clearly struggled yesterday during the time trial.
Meanwhile, it had been a very relaxed stage for most of the riders.
Some lovely scenery on the day: Sixty kilometers to go and the commentators were expressing concern about the turn very close to the finish. The good news: the road seemed to be drying out after earlier rain. The bad news: that sort of turn early in a grand tour is not always handled well by the eager bunch. Also, a delight to have Sean Kelly say, "this is proving to be a very boring day."
Forty nine kilometers to go and the gap was down to about 49 seconds. With about 25 kilometers to go, they finally caught the break. If you had not guessed by Sean Kelly's comment, they are behind the slowest estimated expected time for the day.
Sean Kelly again, "is a kilometer longer in Hungary?"
At the hill, an attack by Zabel and Eenkhoorn for mountain points with Eenkhoorn taking it at the top.
As expected, the bunch sprint. After perfect positioning, Mark Cavendish with the Mother's Day present I was hoping for.


The wine: 2018 Heimann & Fiai Kekfrankos Szekszard
From the importer: Typically harvested a week or two later than Kadarka, the Birtok (estate) Kékfrankos is sourced from younger vines in the Baranya-völgy and an exciting virgin vintage from the Csötönyi-völgy single vineyards. Similar to Kadarka, fermentation was in large (5000-8000 liter) wooden and stainless steel open vats (25% whole bunches), 20-25 days of maceration, twice daily foot trodden and/or pumped over, then aged 8 months (full malo) in used oak. With nearly twice as much maceration as Kadarka, there is far more texture and grip along with more fruit and earthiness to balance. This is a quintessential table red for the appellation in the best way possible.



The food: Kifli Almond Cookies, from Zingermans, with bonus Balaton cherries because I couldn't resist.

Buttery, almondy, wonderful. An Austrian and Hungarian favorite, kifli are small crescent moon-shaped cookies. They’re made with almonds, flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and a bit of powdered sugar. Each sweet cookie is perfectly balanced between buttery and almondy with a delicate, crumbly texture that practically melts in your mouth, similar to shortbread. They are, in a word, scrumptious.  Each cookie is big enough for about two to three dainty nibbles, or one big gobbling mouthful. Share them, if your will is strong enough. Zingerman’s Bakehouse makes these just one month of the year in February.


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