Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Wine and Food of the Tour de France 2023 Stage 17: Saint Gervais Mont Blanc to Courchevel


Where are we? A repeat town for more climbing in the Haute Savoie

Saint Gervais Mont Blanc: Last time we heard about the mountain, now the skiing:  The area includes 7 resorts: Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc, Saint-Nicolas, Megève, Combloux, La Giettaz, Hauteluce and Les Contamines Montjoie which has more than 400 km of slopes (3rd largest area in France). The area offers a unique panorama of the Mont Blanc and Aravis chains. In summer, the ski lifts allow you to enjoy many activities: downhill mountain biking, hiking, lunch in a mountain restaurant...  

Regional Specialties: fondue, raclette, polenta, croziflette, farcement, Savoy cheese (tomme, beaufort, emmental).

Courchevel: Let's plan a summer visit: Taking a holiday in the mountains means fresh air and pleasant weather conditions, where you can relax or enjoy sporting activities. The French Alps offer a rich mountain landscape and cultural and natural gems, offering you the perfect destination for a summer holiday.
Courchevel is one of 17 ski resorts within the Vanoise National Park, providing a unique setting for hiking around lakes, through forests and peaks or for strolling around the six villages in the region. The Vanoise National Park encompasses 535 km2 and has just as much to offer as the Écrins National Park. This national park was France’s first, created in 1963 to protect the Alpine ibex, which was an endangered species within the Vanoise Massif at that time. The park was twinned with the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) in 1972 and together, these parks represent one of the largest protected areas in Europe (1250 km2).
The Courchevel resort takes on a whole new look in the summer with a range of activities suitable for all and unique events to tempt both young and old. Casting off her winter coat, Courchevel dons a green and turquoise outfit to welcome summer holidaymakers. 


Regional Specialties: Le Tour lists no regional specialties


Christian Prudhomme says: The stage will be a great challenge, with more than 5,000 metres of vertical gain to deal with or exploit across the day. The finale will feature the Tour’s second visit to the impressive Col de la Loze, then plunge into Courchevel, where the final battle will take place on the altiport’s 18% runway.

The stage: An expected large breakaway, with some familiar names and the It  highest stage elevation and the highest peak with Col de la Loze at 2304 metres above sea level. But the question of the day, would Pogacar try an attack?
They would continue together, not getting a huge gap. 

Eventually, this was next.  As they started to climb, the gap was 2:50. 
Behind, the yellow jersey group had shrunk to 19. The break would also shrink a bit, down to 16: Tiesj Benoot, Wilco Kelderman (Jumbo-Visma), Rafal Majka (UAE Team Emirates), David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), Pello Bilbao, Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious), Ben O’Connor, Felix Gall (Ag2r-Citröen), Guillaume Martin (Cofidis), Matthew Dinham (DSM-Firmenich), Nick Schultz (Israel-PremierTech), Simon Yates, Chris Harper (Jayco-AlUla), Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X). Riders would continue to drop from both groups.
Speaking of dropping, just over 15 kilometers to go and Pogacar was dropping from the yellow jersey group. Up front, Gall went solo.
Behind, Vingegaard went solo, chasing the break. He was 2'20' behind lone leader Felix Gall, with several riders in between. Pogacar was at 4'15''.
Yates seemed to be closing in on Gall. 
In front of Vingegaard, a moto issue slowed him down. 
At the top of the hill, Gall had about 21 seconds over Yates.
Gall would hold on for the stage win, followed by Yates, Bilbao and Vingegaard.
Stage:


GC




The wine: Château Des Éclaz, Bugey Chardonnay Cru Manicle 2022
The producer's website tells me: A 14th century fortified house of which 3 towers remain, remains of the walls and outbuildings make up the Eclaz. On the southern part of the site, a dwelling was built at the beginning of the 17th century and farm buildings. The Furans, born a few kilometers upstream, flows through the middle of the site and once provided the energy needed for a virtually destroyed mill.
Among the many owners, Baron d'Empire Bouvier des Éclaz, a contemporary and friend of Brillat-Savarin, ended his life there in 1830. Despite the wars and the ravages of time, the Eclaz survived, but they needed aid. 
Two enthusiasts, Jean-Pierre Gros and Michel Roussille, accompanied by friends from the Éclaz family, will perhaps allow the rebirth of these places, which have been listed in the inventory of historical monuments since May 1988. The solidarity and commitment of each will transform this trip into heart of the domain.As a priority, the effort will focus on the vines: After careful preparation work on the Manicle plots during the winter of 2015/2017, the first planting will take place in the spring of 2017 on a one-hectare plot of Manicle cru using the rights owned by the castle. The acquisition of additional planting rights will allow planting to be completed from 2018 on the remaining hectares.

The food: Savoy cheese
If you can do it, this might be a great day for a cheese plate.
The local tourist site has some suggestions, plus a link to a cheese route!

  • P.D.O. Abondance These 10 kg wheels with concave heels bear the same name as one of the valleys in Haute Savoie as well as a local breed of cows. They are made in the mountains of Haute-Savoie. 
  • P.D.O. Beaufort Beaufort wheels weigh around 40 kg and have concave heels. They are produced in the high mountains of Savoie: Tarentaise, Maurienne, Beaufortain and Val d'Arly.
  • P.D.O Chevrotin This exclusively farmhouse cheese made from goat’s milk weighs around 300 g a piece. It is made in the mountains of Haute-Savoie as well as the Bauges mountain range in Savoie. 
  • P.G.I. Emmental de Savoie Each cylindrical, slightly convex wheel weighs around 75 kg and has a golden-coloured rind. It is made in Savoie and Haute-Savoie.   
  • .D.O. Reblochon This creamy, cylindrical-shaped cheese weighs around 500 g a piece. It is made in Haute-Savoie and in Val d’Arly, in Savoie. 
  • P.D.O Tome des Bauges With a grey coloured, marked rind, each piece weighs between 1.1 kg and 1.4 kg. It is produced in the Bauges mountains. 
  • P.G.I. Tomme de Savoie The fat content of this cheese varies, and each one weighs between 1.2 kg and 2 kg. It is made in Savoie and Haute-Savoie. 
  • P.G.I. Raclette de Savoie This cheese is produced throughout the whole of Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Its beautiful, smooth rind is yellowy-orange and each wheel weighs 6 kg. 

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