Where are we? Heading from Piedmont to Liguria
Acqui Terme: From the Giro: Acqui Terme is a fascinating spa town already renowned in Roman times for its steaming waters. It is surrounded by vineyards and landscapes recognized in 2014 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their breathtaking beauty. Located in the province of Alessandria, a borderland between Piedmont and Liguria in the Alto Monferrato area, this town is rich in environmental, landscape, artistic and eno-gastronomic attractions, not far from the large cities of Genoa, Milan and Turin. The imposing remains of the Roman aqueduct bear witness to the importance that water has always had for this town, which offers its visitors an enviable combination of art, culture, history, gastronomic excellence, charm and Italian hospitality that make it a unique and captivating destination .
Giro Specialties: This is a land to savor through its food and wine treasures. The gastronomy, though characterized by simplicity, is very rich, consisting of dishes based on local seasonal ingredients. Most dishes have poor origins derived from the modest economic conditions of the area during past centuries, and despite having been enriched over time, they have never lost their primary ingredient: authenticity.
Other local specialties include amaretti biscuits, baci di dama (lady's kisses), brut e bon, Acquesi al Rhum and Canelin's award-winning turrón, recognized together with the local artisanal ice cream as one of Italy's best products!
The highly appreciated truffle , one of the top products of the region, grows underground throughout the local area, in harmony with oak, willow, linden and poplar trees.
Porcini mushrooms, delicious and abundant in our valleys, are much sought after by gourmets in the autumn months.
Roccaverano DOP – (literally “Protected Designation of Origin”) – A product that symbolizes the hard work behind mountain sheep/goat farming. This goat's cheese – a blend of the fragrances, flowers and herbs of the area, produced fresh or matured – appears to this day to be the only one capable of equaling if not surpassing the legendary French cheeses.
Fillet kissed – a renowned product of Aquitaine gastronomy, the fillet kissed is a unique kind of cured meat, invented by the Malò (Ponzone) family at the beginning of the last century and obtained by stuffing salami paste around the pork fillet.
Andora: Let's visit the sea!
Giro Specialties: If you love the pleasures of gastronomy, don’t miss the fish market in the harbour or a visit to the agricultural producers of the plain, who are the source of many excellent food and wine products that can be tasted in renowned restaurants.
Andora is the second most important plain for the production of Genovese D.O.P. basil, whose intense aroma fills the air at peak harvest time. Extra virgin olive oil is produced in the nearby hinterland, where local estates await visitors to introduce them to the so-called yellow gold and the cultivation and production techniques of the Val Merula. Also worth tasting is the Belendina onion, a recent Slow Food Presidium.
The stage: A sprint stage with a bump in the middle? Maybe.
The break of the day consisted of De Bod, Muñoz and Calmejane.
Behind them there would be several crashes on the stage, including two involving Girmay, who would abandon.
There was also a peloton split with regrouping.
Under 40 kilometers to go and the gap to the remaining break riders was under 2 minutes. Nearing 20 kilometers to go and it had dropped to just about a minute. It would continue to drop rapidly. At 10 kilometers it was 23 seconds. Under 5 to go and there was the catch.
Attack Ganna! Behind, counter attacks. He would be caught, though it was fun for a little while.
Milan from the sprint. Nice win for him.
The wine: From 2012:
Claudio Vio 2008 Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC Pigato
From the importer:
This is old-school, high-altitude (300mt.) Pigato from the hills of Vedone above Albenga. A steep and curvy ride up the hillside, and you arrive perched between sea and mountains. The sun sets there on the sporadic outcroppings of mountain scrub, olive trees, and, of course, vines. If you were a Giant, skipping regions from Piemonte to Liguria, it'd be a good place to cool off for a picnic lunch with some Pigato and Pesto before heading to sea.
Claudio Vio has taken the reigns form his father, Ettore, in what amounts to only a patch-work of vineyards, gathered from rows of vines that seems more like they're trying to walk off the steep hillsides than form a vineyard.
There's but two Hectares total; just drops of wine to be had; one bad hail storm can wipe out everything. It's a rare, magical, place, and we have Claudio to thank for this rare example of heroic viticulture in Liguria. Very Limited. Sustainable.
Tasting Notes:A subtle wine but with plenty of high-altitude nerve and mountain minerals to it. In fact, we reserve the wines a year in advance and wait to ship them; Vio's wines are always to tightly wound when young. Peppery salad notes: Japanese mizuna and watercress; slate fountain of lime. Grüner Veltliner comparisons will get you a one way high-speed train to Austria.
Vineyard:Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC. 12 km from the sea; 300 meters. Harvest mid-September.
Vinification:Heroically hand-harvested form mountain side. Steel. Wine is not released until it settles and unwinds.
The food: Genovese Pesto
This seemed the obvious choice. Have some pasta, top a pizza, use it as a dip. The world is your. . .pesto.
from Serious Eats: https://www.seriouseats.com/best-pesto-recipe
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