Stage 18 Morbegno to San Pelligrino Terme

The action comes late in this 151 kilometer stage running from Morbegno to San Pelligrino Terme, and the Passo di Ganda is the only climb on the schedule. The Giro races over mostly flat roads for the first 100 kilometers and passes through Bergamo. In Bergamo, the riders climb into Bergamo Alta, which served as a finishing town last year. No stopping this time, the stage leaves the city, and begins a gradual, grinding climb up the valley to the Passo di Ganda.

And it was another day for the break. In a tense sprint finish, it was Eros Capecchi who was victorious  ahead of local rider Marco Pinotti and Kevin Seeldraeyers.  

 Pinotti led out the sprint, and with Seeldraeyers glued to the Italian’s wheel, Capecchi was in danger of being squeezed out. However, on the final left hand bend 200 metres from home, he nudged his way between Pinotti and Seeldraeyers. From there, it was a formality, and Capecchi careered past Pinotti to take the win.

 

Region: Lombardy

Wine: 09 Vercesi Del Castellazzo Oltrepò Pavese Pezzalunga $16.99

They say: 

Pezzalunga has been the name given to the hill located in front of Castellazzo, the Vercesi family's estate and former monastery, for generations. The perfectly positioned south east facing vineyards are planted using the guyot system, with 3600 vine stocks per hectare. The soil is clay/marly, not worked and covered by grass, with conditions that create a well balanced environment for the vines.

This wine is obtained from the most characteristic wines on the estate; Barbera 35%, Bonarda (Croatina) 35%, Uva Rara 15%, Pinto Nero 10%, Cabernet Sauvignon 5%. Pezzalunga is bottled in the spring and stays in the cellar for some months before being released. This ensures the wine reaches a particularly fine level of quality. It is a full-bodied, flavorful wine, maintaining a delightful freshness. This wine is produced to be drunk young, but it can be aged for some years successfully, as time will exalt its better qualities.

I say: Wow. A red. And a really deep red (color) at that. Spicy nose. Red fruits but also nice acid on the finish. Pizza anyone?

And now a confession. . . This is actually my last wine of the Giro. The three remaining bottles will need to wait until after my trip to the Austrian Wine Summit. I'll be in Vienna, Carnuntum and Burgenland for the extended weekend. Thanks to the loaner ipad, I'll be sure to check in here or on twitter @educatedpalates.

Giro Stage 17 Feltre-Tirano

http://www.podiumcafe.com/2011/5/25/2189327/giro-ditalia-stage-17-live-second-thread#comments

 Another day, another mountain stage at this Giro d’Italia. This final week of racing is all about the climbing, and stage 17 sticks to the pattern. It’s a long stage running from 230 kilometers from Feltre to Tirano with two significant climbs and a descending finish. Sure enough, the stage was dominated by a large break that stayed away.

Diego Ulissi won a controversial sprint crossing the line in second place but Giovanni Visconti was relegated to third for improper sprinting, having pushed Ulissi rider off his line. Visconti attempted to pass on the blind side but reached out and pushed Ulissi just before the line and managed to cross the line first. The UCI judges ruled in Ulissi's favour. As they say: polemica! 

Stage: Diego Ulissi

Maglia Rosa: Alberto Contador

Region: Lombardy

Wine: Castellazzo Gugiarolo PN Bianco 10 $19.00

They say: Gugiarolo is a wine produced by the white vinification of the Pinot Nero grape belonging to the omonimous vineyards which have been owned by Vercesi del Castellazzo since the 16th century. The place name, of Longobard origin, was often noted in the archives of the Barnabite monks for "la buona esposizione a meridione e la naturale protezione dai venti del levante" the good south-facing position and natural protection from the wild east winds.

The Vercesi del Castellazzo estate is located 30 miles south of Milan - in Lombardy- in the heart of Oltrepo' Pavese on the hills overhanging the city of Stradella, south of the Po River. The winery was founded in 1808 when the great-grand father of the present owner bought the "Castellazzo"; until Napoleon's army took it, it was a monastary of Barnabite order built over the ruins of a Beccaria family castle.

The nose begins with white flowers and tart unripe peach. As it opens up it reveals notes of lanolin and soft apricot fruit. On the palate the wine has weight and structure with subdued spicy stone fruit and pronounced minerality. This wine is very dry and rich but in an indescribable, almost masculine way. Its a man's white.

I say: One I have been looking forward to. A man's white?  Hmm. . . That aside, perfumed and balanced. Looking forward to spending more time with it tonight. 

Giro Stage 16: An Uphill Time Trial

A quick glance at today's stage may make you wonder why so short. After all,  Belluno-Nevegal, Cronoscalata, 12.6 km, sounds like a repeat of Monday's rest day. Instead, we have a mountain time trial. The time trial, for those not familiar with cycling is the one stage of a race that it is simply one man on a bike riding against the clock.  This stage, apart from a short descent at the start, is all climbing, sometimes steeply so. The middle 4km of the stage averages more than 10 per cent, ramping up to 14 per cent as the route reaches Tornante. So unlike a typical time trial which favors the power men, this course is for the climbers. And so it went.

Stage: Alberto Contador
Maglia Rosa: Alberto Contador


Region: Veneto
Wine: Monte Tondo Soave Classico $14.99

They say: 100% Garganega,hand-picked last ten days of September and first ten days of October. Cold maceration for more than 12 hours depending on the ripeness of the fruit; soft pressing; fermentation in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of between 18-20°C, with autoctoni raising agents.
Yellow with gold highlights and green hues; floral bouquet laced with scents of exotic fruit, almonds, hazelnuts and mineral aromas; full-bodied with a long finish; balanced and harmonious on the palate; improves with ageing.

I say: Full bodied, golden yellow, fruity nose with some pear.

Stage 15 Conegliano - Gardeccia/Val di Fassa, 229km

More mountains. And, for the home viewer, gorgeous scenery as the cyclists climbed, climbed some more and climbed again for seven and 1/2 hours through the Dolomites. The 229km route from Conegliano to Gardeccia-Val di Fassa included the highest point in the race, the Giau.

Of course, we had a "devil" sighting today:

http://www.podiumcafe.com/2011/5/22/2184050/giro-ditalia-stage-15-live-second-thread

Former Giro winner Stefano Garzelli, in what may be his final season racing, led the race over the Passo Giau and survived to the bottom of the day's final climb, even throwing an elbow at a few spectators crowding him. On that ascent, Mikel Nieve caught and passed him to take the stage. 

The battle for the maglia rosa continued with second-placed Vincenzo Nibali attacking on the descent of the Giau, still two climbs from the finish. But Alberto Contador used several countrymen from other teams catch back on. Nibali then exploded on the Passo Fedaia and sagged behind Contador and his other competitors for the podium, only to use his tremendous descending skills to rejoin the group for the final climb to Gardeccia. Contador then attacked, followed by his main rivals who were scattered along the road up to this Dolomite alpine wilderness. 

The time gaps speak volumes:

	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	7:27:14
2	Stefano Garzelli (Ita) Acqua & Sapone	0:01:41
3	Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard	0:01:51
4	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:01:57
5	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:02:28
6	José Rujano Guillen (Ven) Androni Giocattoli	0:02:35
7	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:03:34
8	Joaquím Rodríguez (Spa) Katusha Team
9	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Pro Team Astana	0:04:01
10	Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Rabobank Cycling Team	0:04:13

Stage: Mikel Nieve

Maglia Rosa: Alberto Contador

GC after Stage 15

1	Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Saxo Bank Sungard	62:15:29
2	Michele Scarponi (Ita) Lampre - ISD	0:04:20
3	Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:05:11
4	John Gadret (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale	0:06:08
5	Igor Anton Hernandez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:06:32
6	Mikel Nieve Ituralde (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi	0:07:03

Region: Trento-Alto Adige

Wine: Tiefenbrunner Feldmarschall 2009 $37.99

 They say: Feldmarschall is a special wine. The vineyards sit on the high plateau of Fennberg, and are protected from the northerly winds and ripened in a a unique microclimate. At an elevation of 3,300 feet above see level, these are among the highest vineyards in Europe. The wine is named after Franz Philipp Freiherr von Fenner zu Fennberg, founder of the Austrian Kaiserjäger (soldiers of the Austrian emperor), who once used this picturesque Hofstatt as a summer residence.

Saveur's Top 100 Favorite Things #95 Saveur - Jan./Feb. 2008 

"To declare Tiefenbrunner Feldmarschall, a white wine produced high in the Dolomites of Italy, the world’s finest wine made with müller-thurgau grapes is to damn it with faint praise. It is, simply, one of the most exciting whites to be found in Italy today. In contrast to the table wines usually produced from that German-born fruit, this impeccably balanced wine exhibits a nuanced floral bouquet, a taut structure, and a long, complex finish that speaks of both the uncompromising dedication of its makers and an utterly distinctive sense of place."

I say: I admit it. I don't tend to shop by label and as this wine was selected for me by Melissa Sutherland, I did not in this case. But I would have. Pale lemon in color, the nose is both green apples and herbs. Elegant with a very long finish, both acid and concentration. Forced me to put down my book and pay attention.  Could be the wine of the Giro so far. 

Stage 14 Lienz to Zoncolan

And we have another route change. As originally scheduled, the racs would leave Austria and return to Italy with a stage featuring Monte Crostis and Monte Zoncolan, separated by the most treacherous descent in the race. However, the race jury removed Monte Crostis because of team and rider protests over the safety of the descent. Story available at Cycling News.

This news disappointed many fans, including some on course with a homemade protest sign.

http://www.podiumcafe.com/2011/5/21/2182627/giro-ditalia-stage-14-live

As for the race itself, the route was changed again mid-stream due to a fans' protest, something that makes me think of labor strikes during the Tour de France. It was a noble effort by both Michele Scarponi and Vincenzo Nibali, but in the end Alberto Contador added to his stage as Anton held on for the stage win. My highlight of the day performance was Nibali, who initially suffered from Igor Anton's acceleration and Contador's response. But Nibali clawed his way back to Contador and Scarponi, eventually surging forward with Contador, leaving Scarponi behind. Towards the end of the stage, Contador jumped away again and finished second, but only a handful of seconds ahead of Nibali. Scarponi also limited his losses coming in fourth, while the now you see him, now you don't, Denis Menchov finished fifth.

Stage: Igor Anton

Maglia Rosa: Contador

Region: Friuli  Venezia 

Wine: Edi Kante Vitovska 06  $42.00 12.5% abv

They say: 90 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The 2006 Vitovska is incredibly dense and rich in this vintage. This textured white reveals generous fruit in an expansive yet intensely mineral style, with excellent depth and persistence on the palate. There is a lovely baritone register to the fruit, but the wine needs considerable air to be fully appreciated. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2014." (10/09)

 NYTimes piece here: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/vitovska-thats-right-vitovska/

I say:  Deep golden color, almost a hint of honey, perhaps the baritone register mentioned above? But more acid than sweetness. Guest pleased.

Giro Stage 13 Austrian Alps

So it was a hard day for us anyone but Contador fans as he once again had an absolutely dominant mountain stage. In wet and chilly conditions on the massive Austrian peak, Contador was happy to let Venezuela’s José Rujano take the stage win in the knowledge that his main rivals for the overall title were still a kilometre from the line.

Stage: Rujano
Maglia Rosa: Contador

Region: Austrian Alps
Wine: none
Yup, none. I asked Terry Theise and was assured there is no wine from this region. Which bothered me for a while. But given the cycling news today of Tyler Hamilton's accusations against Lance Armstrong and the did he or didn't he situation with George Hincapie, I don't really feel like drinking to celebrate cycling. I'm not naive, I follow the sport closely enough, including getting up at 4 am to watch the classics live online, to know that not only did doping happen, but it continues to happen. And to a certain extent, I accept that as a fan I will spend far too much time talking about the doping stories with non fans and not the sport itself. Which, of course, should happen as well as a baseball fan, but doesn't. I don't want to bury my head in the sand and ignore reality. But it would be nice, in a week with the Giro (even if less thrilling than last year) and the Tour of California (a race on US soil) to not have this issue dominate the headlines.

CBS News story here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/20/60minutes/main20064858.shtml
Cycling News story: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/report-hincapie-tells-fda-armstrong-took-peds

Hincapie on twitter:
"I can confirm to you I never spoke with "60 Minutes." I have no idea where they got their information.
As I've said in the past, I continue to be disappointed that people are talking about the past in cycling instead of the future.
As for the substance of anything in the "60 Minutes" story, I cannot comment on anything relating to the ongoing investigation."

I'm going to go watch the end of the Red Sox game.  And think about Roger Clemens and seeing him strike out 20 at Fenway one night.

Tomorrow, back to the wine.

Giro Stage 12: Castelfidardo - Ravenna, 184km

Paging the few remaining sprinters: This is the last flat stage, and as such is seen as likely to be the last stage in which the Giro's sprinters will take the start. To show just how flat, see the stage profile below, from Cycling News.

It will surprise very few cycling fans that Mark Cavendish won today's stage after the high-speed crash in the final 3 kilometers that held up most of the field.

I have a lot of friends who are not sports fans. One of my repeated arguments I use in attempting to get them to attend games, races, etc with me is to talk about a "pay to see player." It is not an original idea at all and is very simple. Certain players, no matter what the sport have such a high degree of mastery that it is worth it to see them play even if you are not a fan. People like Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods. In cycling, the sprinters are the glamorous, rock-stars of the peloton. They may not wine the grand tours, but their performances can be simply amazing to watch. My favorite sprinter to watch these days is by far Mark Cavendish. The combination of the amazing HTC leadout "train" especially Mark Renshaw, combined with his talent make his victories rather, well, pretty to watch. The fact that he is often amusing doesn't hurt either. Cavendish along with most of the other remaining sprinters will withdraw from the race today saying that "there’s no sprints and nothing he can do to help the team who would have to look after him." I'll look forward to seeing him again in July.

Stage: Mark Cavendish
Maglia Rosa: Alberto Contador

Region: Emilia Romagna
Wine: Lini 910 Labrusca Rose $18.00

They say: Lambrusco Salamino is blended with the high-acid, high-tannin sub-variety Lambrusco di Sorbara to produce a bracing, palate-cleansing style. The wine is vinified using the Charmat
method and is kept near freezing in pressurized tanks until bottling.  

From Ray Isle, Food & Wine's wine editor: "I recently tasted some artisanal Lambruscos that will make you forget you ever heard the word Riunite. The producer is Lini, and the wines are made by fourth-generation winemaker Alicia Lini, whose family has been producing Lambrusco in Correggio, in Reggio Emilia, since 1910. This isn't zillion-case production plonk, as a lot of Lambrusco is; these are fresh, vibrant sparkling wines, ideal for summer drinking, and not overwhelmingly expensive, either. [The Rosé offers] crisp strawberry aromas, and bright strawberry-cherry fruit, appropriate, since "Cerasa" means cherry in Italian. This is made from the Sorbara grape variety, whose light skin naturally supplies the pale red color."


I say:  Lively and fresh, the really gorgeous cherry color makes it look sweeter than it is. Dare I say: Gulpable? Would be a lovely party wine, accessible enough for my non-wine friends, but appealing enough for the snobs.