Sunday, May 25, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 15: Fabio Aru, Times Gaps and Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore Sassella

Where are we: Heading from Valdengo in Piedmont to Montecampione in Lombardy. Lying at the foot of Biella mountains, the territory of Valdengo runs from verdant hills to the plain, with colorful plots of farming land.
A holiday resort established in the early 70s, Montecampione belongs to the Municipality of Artogne, with its two housing estates (one at 1,200 meters and one at 1,800 meters), in the heart of the wonderful Val Camonica.

Food: Valdengo: Pulenta cunscia (polenta with cheeses), ris an cagnan (risotto with toma cheese and browned butter); Castelrosso and Maccagno cheese; melata (very dark honey, with a malt and dried plums flavor)
Montecampione: Fatulì della Val Saviore (goat cheese), taleggio cheese; goat, wild boar, donkey and goose charcuterie; gnòc dè schelt (chestnut flour dumplings), polenta with small birds or wild game, casonsei (ravioli with an egg, cheese and vegetable filling), turta dè rane (quiche with frog meat filling); roasted or stuffed freshwater fish (trout, whitefish, common bleak, pike, tench); donkey or wild boar stracotto, cuz (sheep meat cooked in its fat); mundìne (roasted chestnuts), spongada (sweet focaccia)

The route: Another day in the mountains before our third and final rest day tomorrow. Also another mountain top finish. The preview here from Inrng includes this interesting statement: "Each time the Giro has finished on Montecampione the stage winner has gone on to win the Giro."

The race: Finally in our break of the day: Adam Hansen. Joining him:
Maxime Bouet (Ag2r La Mondiale), Daniele Ratto (Cannondale), Johan Le Bon (Fdr.fr), Andre Fernando Cardoso (Garmin Sharp), Damiano Cunego (Lampre Merida), Simon Geschke (Giant Shiamo), Luca Paolini (Katusha), Fabio Felline (Trek Factory Racing), Rodolfo Torres (Colombia), Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocattoli), and Enrico Barbin (Bardiani-CSF). With one hundred kilometers remaining on the stage, they had a gap of just over seven minutes. Another abandonment: Mitch Docker. That makes a total to only threee riders remaining for Orica-GreenEdge.



With 78 kilometers to go the gap was out to a full 10 minutes, making Cunego almost the virtual race leader on the road. With that, the bunch behind sped up and somewhat rapidly reduced that gap to seven minutes. With 60 kilometers to go, that gap was down to 6:40. Forty kilometers to go and it was already down to five minutes. Thirty kilometers to go and it was under four minutes. 
Coming soon:


With the climb just around the corner for the break, their lead was down to 2'24. Jumping out of the peloton behind Arredondo, clearly hoping to maintain his lead in the mountain competition. Ahead, Adam Hansen was alone at the front of the race. 


With 15 kilometers to go, Hansen was joined at the front by Cardoso. They had about one minute over the first chasers and 1:20 over the peloton. I was cheering for Hansen. Alas.


Nice move from Philip Deignan. He has a race diary running here. Apparently the team now has their Nutella back. Oh, Basso, looking good as always as he fell off the back. Deignan had 17 seconds with 7.6 km to go. Hey, look Hesjedal and Basso made it back to the favorites group. But quickly, Basso was dropped again, just in time for the attacks to start from the pink jersey group. 


At the front of the race, Rolland caught Deignan. Tons of action was taking place behind them. With one kilometer to go Aru was alone at the front of the race with Rolland and Quintana the next group on the road. Behind, the other favorites were scattered in small groups. 



Aru held on! Now it was a matter of waiting to see what the gaps were behind. 



 Stage: Fabio Aru
GC: 



Wine: 2009 Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore Sassella
From Biondivino  $27

 From the importer: Founded in 1925 by the current proprietor’s grandfather, Casa Vinicola Aldo Rainoldi is THE flagship estate in the Valtellina, the heart of Lombardy’s heralded Nebbiolo-growing region. The northernmost wine region in Lombardy, vineyards in the Valtellina are located at extremely high altitudes (600+ meters) and are protected from cold, harsh winds by the nearby mountain peaks, which also trap the heat in the valley. The stony schist-based vineyard soils also retain heat and release it during the night to warm the vines. These conditions provide a long, slow growing season for Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca, allowing it to fully develop its flavors over a long, slow growing season. Vines here are cultivated exclusively by hand on the impervious (but optimally exposed!) steep slopes along the north bank of the valley.   

The Sassella is made from 100% Nebbiolo fruit grown in the Valtellina Superiore near Castione Andevenno and Sondrio. The vineyards face South at  250 - 450 meters above sea level. The thin topsoil in this sub-region has a high mineral content and yields fruit that's particularly well-suited for aging. Rainoldi harvests all of the fruit for this wine (70 q/ha) manually during the first week of October.

At the end of a slow maceration, the wine matures for almost two years in Slavonian oak barrels. After that, it refines in bottle for a year before it release to market. 666 cases produced.  

 I say: Full flavored, but still agile. Garnet red in color with red fruits and plums.
Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 14: Up They Go: Battaglin & Sottimano Mate 2012

Where are we: Still in Piedmont heading uphill 164 kilometers  from Agliè to Oropa. La Gazetta tells us that Agliè is a medieval village in the heart of the historical Canavese region; its industry thrived in the 20th century thanks to companies such as Olivetti (the famous Lettera 22 typewriter was produced here for a long time). Agliè is currently dedicated to tourism and viniculture.

 A UNESCO World Heritage site, Oropa is the most important and largest  sanctuary dedicated to the Virgin Mary to be found in the Alps. It is located in a unique, natural and unspoilt setting at 1200 mt. a.m.s.l, at only 20 minutes drive from the centre of Biella.

 Our foods of the day from La Gazetta: Aglie: Risotto with blueberries and Erbaluce di Caluso wine, agnolotti with fondue and hazelnuts; torcetti di Agliè (twisted cookies), paste di meliga (fine maize flour cookies)
Oropa:  Pulenta cunscia (polenta with cheeses from local pastures), fondue, ris an cagnan (risotto with toma cheese and browned butter); salam la duja (salami dipped in pork lard), salam d patata (salami with potatoes); honey or raisin mostarda (served with bollito misto); paste di meliga, canestrelli biscuits
The route: Why hello there our fine friend High Mountains. We've been waiting for you. Today we have four categorised climbs on the route with a uphill finish in Oropa. Recommended: the PodiumCafe mountain preview.

The race: 

Our morning break is rather large this morning: Valerio Agnoli (Astana), Axel Domont (Ag2r la Mondiale), Marco Frapporti and Emanuele Sella (Androni Venezuela), Enrico Battaglin (Bardiani CSF), Martijn Keizer (Belkin), Manuel Quinziato (BMC), Paolo Longo Borghini (Cannondale), Jarlinson Pantano (Colombia), Mattia Cattaneo and Jan Polanc (Lampre Merida), Tim Wellens (Lotto Belisol), Julien Vermote (Omega Quick Step), Ivan Santaromita (Orica GreenEdge), Albert Timmer (Giant Shimano), Perrig Quemeneur (Europcar), Darico Cataldo and Boasson Hagen (Sky), Nicolas Roche (Saxo Tinkoff), Danilo Hondo (Trek) and Yonathan Monsalve (Neri Sottoli). With 82 kilometers remaining, their gap was around nine minutes.


 Along the road:


Two more abandonments: Kanstantsin Siutsou of Sky and Pieter Weening. Orica has had a great race, but are down to just four remaining riders. Sky on the other hand, has had a lousy Giro. With 69 kilometers to go, the gap was at 6:50. With 52km to go the gap was at 8'59, the pace behind was slow enough that Bouhanni was still with the bunch.  
Speaking of the bunch, they seemed less than delighted by the flares fans set off along the course.  


Just under 50 kilometers to go and the first attack from the peloton: Pierre Rolland. Joining him, Thurau, Amador and Zoidl. Next ones out of the pack:
Haas and Hesjedal from Garmin Sharp. Quickly joining them, Izaguirre. Hesjedal, Izaguirre, Thurau, Rolland, Zoidl all together. Ahead, Roche attacked his breakaway mates. So many groups on the road, so few cameras.
Roche had ten second at the top of the climb with the Rolland group at 4'25, the Haas, Pirazzi group at 5'05, and the peloton at 5'48. 


There were apparently about 12 riders left in that front group, including Roche. 
After a mechanical for Quinziato, Timmer was alone at the front of the race with six kilometers to go. Per Eurosport Timmer has “A heart to match the size of his giant frame.” With four kilometers to go, he had 36 seconds over the first chasing group. He looked to be truly suffering.
Back in the pack, Quintana accelerated, but his main gc rivals were not distanced. A little bit later, Pozzovivo attacked, dropping almost everyone but Quintana very quickly. At the front, Timmer was caught by Cataldo and Pantano. At the end, they would be caught by other chasers. A very slow sprint for the win between Cataldo, Pantano and Battaglin. The winner: Battaglin.
Behind, many gaps have formed. There will be GC changes. Alas, poor Basso, my fantasy team had hopes.



Stage: Enrico Battaglin
GC:




The wine: Sottimano Mate 2012
From Biondivino $23.00
Ceri says: A rare example of brachetto made into a dry, still wine. Sottimano made wine for years from this patch of old vines before learning exactly what it was.

 From the producer:
Grapes: Brachetto.
Location of the vineyard: Neive.
Age of the vineyards: 35 years.
Size: 1.20 ha.
Average production: 5.000 btls/year.
The vineyard :The Maté is a small vineyard of Brachetto in the zone of Neive.
The vinification: The fermentation and the maceration on the skins normally takes about 7-8 days. No selected yeasts are used. The malolactical fermentation is completed in stainless steel, where the wine remains for approximately 8 months. There is no filtering and no fining prior to bottling.
The Maté has a very intense color, an elegant nose of spices and rose and a fresh and refined taste.
The acidity is well balanced by the good concentration of this vintage.

 I say: A truly gorgeous nose on this wine, flowers, spices and cherries. Very perfumed and if they made a perfume of this wine, I might wear it.
In the mouth, light and fragrant, with light strawberries and lingering flowers. Plenty of acid on this finish makes this fall into that gulpable category. 
Posted by at No comments:

Friday, May 23, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 13: Hail, Canola and Castello di Neive Barbaresco



Where are we: Piedmont, heading157 kilometers from Fossano to Rivarolo Canavese.
Fossano is renowned for beef breeding. It is also a major manufacturing center, especially in the confectionery industry. More here on a visit to the area  from the Washington Post.
Rivarolo Canavese, having its debut as a Giro stage city has an economy that relies on cattle farming, handicraft and an evolving hi-tech industry.
Fossano: Vitello tonnato, Alba-style raw beef, traditional lardo from the Cuneo area, aioli (garlic-based condiment); gnocchi alla bava (potato dumplings with a fresh cheese, cream and truffle sauce), tajarin (taglierini) with butter and Alba white truffles or ragu, bollito misto, cotechino with lentils or mashed potatoes, Sambucana lamb, cunij al zenèiver (rabbit with juniper berries); traditional cheeses and desserts (bra, castelmagno, murazzano, raschera/baci di dama, nougat)

Rivarolo Canvese:  Traditional Piedmont fritto misto, bagna càuda (olive oil, anchovies and garlic-based condiment), Russian salad, raw meat; ravioli alla Erbaluce (with a rabbit filling), Canavese-style pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), Canavese-style stuffed onions, finanziera del re (chicken giblets stew)

The route: Flat. Well, they had to give something to the sprinters before we head to the high mountains. The question of the day: Can anyone beat Bouhanni?

 The race: Our break of the day: Jackson Rodriguez (Androni), Maxim Belkov (Katusha), Marco Canola (Bardiani CSF), Jeffry Johan Romero (Colombia), Gert Dockx (Lotto-Belisol), and Angelo Tulik (Europcar). With 100 kilometers to go, the gap to the peoloton was 2:27. Although the riders were in the sunshine, there was word of possible rain at the finish. 


On they go. Time for rain gear. And, ouch:




Another rain jacket incident, Dekker did not crash, but had to stop and do repairs. At around the 45 kilometers to go point, the gap was around 3:20. Still ahead, before the finish, was an intermediate (points) sprint. Also ahead: hail!


Wow. It looked like snow, but apparently was simply piles of hail. 
Narrow roads towards the finish look to be dry, but things could get very tricky at high speed. Fifteen kilometers to go and there was a split in the breakaway and it suddenly looked like they could make it, as the peloton was having trouble mounting a true chase. Sometimes the chase does not materialize as we expect it to and today was one of those days and on one of the last chance stages for the sprinters. Our surprise winner: Marco Canola.

Stage: Marco Canola
GC: 
1 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team    
2 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 0:00:37  
3 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:01:52  
4 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:32  
5 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:02:50  
6 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 0:03:29  
7 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:03:37  
8 Wout Poels (Ned) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:04:06  
9 Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:04:20  
10 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:04:41  
Wine: Castello di Neive Barbaresco 2010
A sample provided by Winebow. SRP $34.99

From the importer: Castello di Neive is owned by the Stupino family, siblings Anna, Giulio, Italo, and Piera. In 1964 the family purchased the castle with its spacious cellars, along with more land and farmsteads in Santo Stefano and Marcorino. 

Castello di Neive comprises a 150 acre (60 hectares) estate, all in the Neive town council, in the Langhe area of the Piedmont region. Sixty-two acres of the property are devoted to grape growing and all the production (approximately 12,000 cases a year) is obtained from Castello di Neive’s own vines in the following vineyards:  Basarin, Cortini, Gallina, Marcorino, Messoirano-Montebertotto; Santo Stefano and Valtorta.

Recently released photographs from the winery’s library show that, as early as 1904, Pinot Nero was being bottled at the castle, and that by 1925 Nebbiolo was recognized as a fine wine grape with varietal labeling.  Now, roughly one century later, the Stupino family continues tradition of cultivating and vinifying these noble varieties as well as the often overlooked Barbera and Dolcetto and the local favorite, Grignolino. The Stupinos’ winemaking philosophy is to respect a centuries-old heritage of winemaking while embracing new technologies and research activities—both in the vineyard and in the cellars.

 I say: Perhaps I should have had this one yesterday, but since we are still in the area: Barbaresco. Cherries, spice, herbs and flowers. Medium bodied, with some good acidity. Vibrant and fresh!
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 12: Rigoberto Uran Into Pink & Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba


Where are we: Heading kilometers from Barbaresco to Barolo. Both areas are probably best known for their wines.
Barbaresco is a  red wine made with Nebbiolo grapes and aged for a minimum of 26 months, at least nine of them in oak. Barolo is also a red wine made with Nebbiolo grapes and aged for a minimum of 38 months, at least eighteen in wooden barrels.
I'm liking the food listings on the stages info pages on La Gazetta, so will continue to include them. Some highlights on their list today: Piedmont's traditional appetizers (vitello tonnato, Russian salad, Alba-style raw beef, etc.); tajarin (taglierini) with butter and Alba white truffles or ragu, agnolotti del plin (pinched agnolotti); bollito misto (boiled meats), rabbit in Arneis wine; coffee or chocolate bonet (pudding), zabaione, nougat semifreddo



The route: ITT time. 41.9km of rolling roads through the Barolo vineyards. Sounds like a lovely ride for a relaxing afternoon, but one that will be a lot less fun for the riders. A climb, descent, flat section and then some more climbing before what is described as a technical (read: tricky) descent.

The race: Weather may be an issue today.


Also, Quintana has a cold. 
The early leader was Patrick Gretsch. The weather conditions really did look bad. A new leader: Thomas De Gendt!




On the course, an awful crash for Tobias Ludvigsson who flew over the barriers and landed in a garden. 
A report from Podium Cafe on a call from the current leader Thomas De Gendt on Sporza. I laughed at this: "I’m sitting on the hot seat – not that’s it very hot here. It’s a chair in front of a tv behind the podium. It’s outside, in a tent." (The hot seat is simply a spot where the current leader in a time trial stage sits and waits while the other riders finish.)
Back in the start house, many close-ups of Ivan Basso. And why not? 
Wow! Great ride by Diego Ulissi. He rode into first by 50 seconds over De Gendt, a huge gap in a time trial. Making the tv producers job easier, Ulissi finished just in time for the start of Cadel Evans.
With the main gc contenders on the course, the intermediate check times were suddenly a lot faster than earlier in the day as weather conditions improved.  
Yikes. Cadel Evans starts out very slow. Ahead of him, Uran was going very fast, making him the virtual race leader on the road. The Omega Pharma Quick Step team was having a great day.
Wow again. Uran in over a minute ahead of Ulissi. He may very well have ridden himself into pink. Behind, Cadel Evans took a slight detour off the road. It actually was not that bad a day for Evans, as he finishes third on the day, rather it was a great one for Uran. Major changes to the GC today. The mountains ahead will be very interesting.

Stage: Rigoberto Uran
GC: 
The wine: Bartolo Mascarello Dolcetto d'Alba

 From the importer:
Varietals: Dolcetto
Vineyard: Sourced from the Monrobiolo and Rue vineyards in Barolo.
Orientation: Monrobiolo southwest, Rue east.
Soil: Clay with sand, tufa and limestone substrates.
Viticulture: Traditional, conventional. Average age of vines is about 25 years. We do not use chemical pesticides or fertilizers. Composted cow manure is used for fertilization and mechanical mowing is used to keep cover plants under control. Sulfur and copper are used during the season to combat oidium and peronospora. Vines are unirrigated (by DOC laws). Training is guyot and density is about 3500 plants per hectare.
Aging: The Dolcetto is stored in large botti (casks) of Slavonian Oak for 6-9 months in a natural ageing cellar, then bottled the following late July. Malolactic fermentation is not forced and occurs in the botti. The botti range from 25 to 50 hectoliters and average 10-12 years of age.

Read more about them here, in a really great blog post from Levi Dalton. Also more here, from Rare Wine Co.

I say: I debated drinking a Barolo. (Spoiler: tomorrow Barbaresco.) But budget, plus an excellent suggestion from the folks at Dig sent me to this wine. So, a doclcetto d'Alba from a great Barolo house. Click on the highly recommended links above to learn a lot more about the producer. 
Deep purple in the glass, with plums and cherries with a hint of violets and herbs. I paired it with pizza on day one and pasta with homemade tomato sauce and sausage on day two and the acid helped it to hold up well to both. More please!
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 11: Another for Australia & Donati Camillo Malvasia dell'Emilia


Where are we: Leaving Emilia Romagna and heading to Liguria, 249 kilometers from Collecchio to Savona. 
Google tells me that Liguria is known as the "Italian Riviera."
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The region of Liguria is also known as the Italian Riviera - See more at: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria#sthash.kNHxDmwQ.dpuf
The folks at La Gazetta tell me that the foods of Savona include: Turtellassu (flatbread of wheat flour), cubed panissa (pancake of chickpea flour, without olive oil) seasoned with oil and lemon or onion; striped and fried panissa; capponada della Riviera di Ponente (seafood salad with baby octopus, prawns, sole and salted anchovies); pansotti (ravioli) with walnut sauce, maccheroni with tripe (soup); torta pasqualina (quiche with an artichoke, ricotta cheese, eggs and Parmigiano filling); rabbit with olives; myrtle-leaved orange (candied or in alcohol).
The route: This could be a very fun day. More medium mountains., but also a downhill finish that could prove quite fun to watch. Read the rather excellent PodiumCafe preview here.

The race: Not starting today our former race leader, Michael Matthews. Early on Fabian Wegmann abandoned after a crash, apparently he suffered a complete hamstring tear. Not that long after another abandonment: Luke Durbridge. Our break of the day: Francesco Bongiorno (Bardiani), Moreno Moser (Cannondale), Francis Mourey (FDJ), Enrico Barbin (Lampre), Yonathan Monsalve (Nero Sottoli), Perrig Quemeneur (Europcar), Romain Sicard (Europcar), Björn Thurau (Europcar), Georg Preidler (Giant-Shimano), Daniel Moreno (Katusha), Eduard Vorganov (Katusha), Phililp Deignan (Sky), Nicolas Roche (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Ivan Rovny (Tinkoff-Saxo).
Having missed the break, Androni was pushing the pace at the front of the peloton.


 



Lots of battered riders today. With 74 kilometers to go, there was another crash. Given the number of crashes today, you would think it was pouring rain.  Ahead, Cadel Evans clearly wanted to slow the race down.


The Androni team declined his request and continued to push the pace. With 65 kilometers to go, the gap to the break was at 2:40. 


50 kilometers to go and the gap was just over two minutes. A report from Jens in the live thread at Podium Cafe: "Danish TV teling story of Avila missing the timecut the other day. He demanded a bidon from the team car in the final kms. They refused as it would give them a fine. He got off his bike in protest and they still refused. When he eventually finished he was HD." 
Where they are heading:


On they go, heading towards the Naso di Gatto or cat's nose. Appropriately:


Forty kilometers to go and the gap was around 1:15. Now at the front of the peloton, Quick Step, Belkin, BMC and more. An attack from Arredondo, as he is not a GC threat, the group let him go. He quickly made it up to the remnants of the break: Bongiorno, Roche, Preidler, and Moreno. He caught and passed them, eventually taking maximum points at the king of the mountain point.

Twenty four kilometers to go and the reduced peloton, of about forty, was all together again. There would certainly be more attacks to come. And there went Mick Rogers, recently cleared to race again after his positive test for Clenbuterol. He had a twenty six second gap with 17 kilometers to go.


Ten kilometers to go and he had about 37 seconds. Five kilometers to go and he had 34 seconds, though it looked like the group behind was starting to speed up. Three kilometers and it was 23 seconds. One kilometer and 21 seconds. Another winning day for Australia as he holds on to take the stage.
Tomorrow, they time trial!



Stage: Michael Rogers
GC:
1 Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team 48:39:04  
2 Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team 0:00:57  
3 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:01:10  
4 Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 0:01:20  
5 Steve Morabito (Swi) BMC Racing Team 0:01:31  
6 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana Pro Team 0:01:39  
7 Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Belkin Pro Cycling Team 0:01:44  
8 Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar Team 0:01:45  
9 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Trek Factory Racing 0:01:49  
10 Ivan Basso (Ita) Cannondale 0:02:01  
 
The wine: Donati Camillo Malvasia dell'Emilia
From the importer:  The Donati estate is a family estate started in 1930 which is now run by the third generation of Donati -- Camillo, his wife and their children. They cultivate 11 ha of vines (7 of which they own as Tenuta S. Andrea and 4 which are leased at Tenuta Bottazza) using organic and biodynamic practices. They are about 20 km away from Parma in the hillside at an altitude of around 250 m with an eastern exposition.
The Malvasia Candia is historically from Crete, arriving in this part of Italy many centuries ago, and it is also one of the oldest known grapes. Up until 30-50 years ago it was only vinified in sweet and demi-sec style, but Donati now makes both a dry and sweet Malvasia.

All the grapes, including the white, are fermented like red wines (with skin contact), without temperature control, and use no other controls or enhancers at fermentation, no fining, no acidification or de-acidification, no selected yeasts, etc... They make Malvasia Dolce (sweet) from a stopped fermentation by filtration through a sack filter and it remains at about 4-6% alcohol with a bit of natural sweetness balanced by acidity. The other wines are fermented dry, including the Lambrusco.

 The carbonation of these frizzante wines comes from the traditional method of refermentation in bottle, a method that does not require preservatives and which makes this wine, unlike those produced in charmat method, age better. The wines are not filtered and are topped with a crown cap (a traditional closure for some decades in this region). There may be resulting sediment and the bottles should be poured somewhat carefully without a lot of intense movement.

These are very delicate and natural wines that have immense glugability and unique character. They are meant to be drunk simply as you would a refreshing beer or cider at cold temperature (even the red) with simple foods. They go particularly well with cold cuts, prosciutto and dry sausages and gnocco – fried squares of dough – that are traditional in Parma.

 I say: Bubbly and orange and cloudy in the glass. Wheaty and savory. Dry and weird and a lot of fun, in the vein of a cider or beer. It even has a crown cap!
Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage10 : Cordani Terzolo & Bouhanni is Having a Great Giro

Where are we: Still in Emilia Romagna, heading 173 kilometers from Modena to Salsomaggiore Terme. Modena is the home of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Pagani, appropriate enough for what should be a sprint stage. It is also known for its balsamic vinegar. Google tells me that Salsomaggiore Terme is famous for its magnificent thermal baths.Also, on the route today: Parma.
The route: A flat route after our second rest day. This should be a day for the sprinters.Per Inrng: "98.5% flat and tactically unremarkable."

The race: Off they went. A two man break consisting of Marco Bandiera (Androni) and Andrea Fedi (Neri Sottoli - Yellow Fluo) had an early big gap, over eight minutes very early in the stage. Neither rider represents any threat to the jersey wearers, so they are likely to keep their gap throughout the day. With 114 kilometers to go, their break was at 5:38. 
At the intermediate sprint point, with 105 kilometers to go, Viviani took the  maximum points from the peloton. The points jersey competition will be an interesting one to watch throughout the rest of the Giro. 
Under 80 kilometers to go and the gap was hovering around six minutes. The stage had, thus far, been just about as dull as predicted. It had been one of those stages for the poor announcers to desperately beg for questions from Twitter to help fill the air time. Also, viewers got to hear a lot more about things like feed zones. 
64 kilometers to go and the gap was down to 4'48. At least the scenery was pretty. And then the peloton woke up a bit, and the gap started coming down rapidly. With 53 kilometers to go, it was already down to 3:20, as the teams of the sprinters led the chase. 50 kilometers to go and the gap was just about three minutes. Not wanting to catch the break too early and allow for an attack, the sprint teams seemed happy to back off slightly. 
Parma!









It was clearly time for the chasers to get serious. Sure enough, with twenty kilometers to go, the gap was under three minutes. A crash in the peloton with
Yannick Eijssen down and would not finish the stage. Sixteen kilometers to go and the gap was down to 1:39. Ten kilometers to go and it was down to a 30 second gap. Hey, Sky at the front. Lots of gaps were opening in the peloton. Nice riding by Cadel Evans to stay with this front group. Sure enough, a crash, with lots of riders on the road. Tyler Farrar looked to be one of the first down. 

Ahead, another great sprint by Nacer Bouhanni. Three now for him. There had been splits in the peloton, but the 3-kilometer rule will give all of the main group the same time. Great ride today by Cadel Evans to stay out of trouble.


Stage:Nacer Bouhanni
GC: Cadel Evans



 The wine: Cordani Terzolo 2011
from Biondivino

 From the producer:
Here at Montine (the name of our home) there were mostly woods, a few fields and just a couple vineyards. My grandparents lived 30 kilometers away at that time, so they’d come to this area on Monday and return to their house on Friday. They slept in a stable just two kilometers away during the week while they worked the vines. They were commuters ahead of their time!!!! 

Philosophies, Ideas & Practices: I started working in the vineyards when I was born and I still do it today. I was born here, and after awhile you begin to live in symbiosis with the plants; and your own timeframe becomes the same as your plant’s. I plant new vines and I see them growing and eventually they become part of you. 

Winemaking: In the cellar I work as my grandfather used to: without yeasts or strange alchemies. 
See the winery website at http://www.aziendacordani.it

 I say: Obscure grape alert. Some info on Ortrugo from the Enoteca Regionale Emilia Romagna:
Ortrugo is probably one among the many grapes already grown in the Piacenza area in the pre-Christian era, and one among the few we still know. First the hard frost in the four Piacenza valleys and then the American diseases decimated many vine varieties: Ortrugo is one of the survivors. It is an early white grape, with long and compact greenish-yellow bunches. Particularly suited for semi-sparkling and sparkling wines, Ortugo today is also made in the still version, particularly appreciated abroad.
Frizzante! Looks like cider and there are indeed some apple notes. Refreshing but not simple.
Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Wines of the Giro Stage 9: Weening & Castelluccio Ronco dei Ciliegi

Where are we: Off the go, 172 kilometers from  in the Lugo to Sestola in Emilia Romagna. Sestola population 2600, is a ski station on the Apennine Ridge. 
Food wise, Emilia-Romagna is the home of Parmigiano-Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto di Parma, tortellini, and much more. For a great look at the food of the region, look out for The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. "Ask an Italian where to take only one meal in Italy, and, after recommending his mother's house, he will more than likely send you to Emilia-Romagna,"writes Kasper.


 The route: 172 kilometers, the first 100 of so are relatively flat. After that, they will be climbing again, though the experts seem to agree that it should be an easier day than yesterday. Take a look at this excellent preview on Podium Cafe from a woman who rode the route yesterday.

The race: To watch this morning, a look behind the scenes on the Lotto bus with Adam Hansen. Not starting the race today: Francesco Chicchi. Eleven seasons as a pro, still no major tours completed.
Our morning break took a long time to get established today: Julien Berard (AG2R La Mondiale), Enrico Barbin (Bardiani CSF), Marco Bandiera (Androni Giocatolli), Jackson Rodriguez (Androni Giocatolli), David Tanner (Belkin), Oscar Gatto (Cannondale), Leonardo Duque (Colombia), Matteo Bono (Lampre-Merida), Jonathan Monsalve (Neri Sottoli), Tosh Van der Sande (Lotto-Belisol), Salvatore Puccio (Team Sky), Eduard Vorganov (Katusha), Pieter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge) and Davide Malacarne (Europcar). After 76 kilometres of racing the gap back to the peloton was 5:30. Not seen on video was an early crash that seems to have left former race leader Michael Matthews missing a large chunk of his shorts and some skin too.
The finish ahead:



 78 kilometers to go and the gap was 6'42". At the front of the peloton, BMC  so far seemed happy to let the break stay away, as none of the riders were a threat to his pink jersey. With 50 kilometers to go, the gap remained at around seven minutes and Garmin came to the front of the peloton. Having missed out on the break, they apparently decided to fight for the stage win. That however did not last long and with 45 kilometers remaining the gap was still over six minutes. 
Poor Michael Matthews is having a bad day:



 35 kilometers to go and the pace went up in the peloton. 


Another abandonment: Steven Kruijswijk, who had been been riding with a fractured shoulder. Back on the road, BMC was really pushing the pace on the descent. That pace caused splits on the road. A mechanical for Aru, but he had teammates to help him chase back on. 25 kilometers to go and the gap was just under four minutes. 20 kilometers to go and it had been cut to just over three minutes. Ahead, some attacks from within the breakaway group.


10 kilometers to go and the gap was 1:12 to the chase and almost four minutes to the peloton. It was looking good for the break. Crash in the peloton for Rubiano and Izagirre. Six kilometers to go and the gap was still over 3 minutes for the lead riders, Malacarne and Weening.  


And then an attack by Domenico Pozzovivo! Behind him, the gc leaders chased. How much time could he gain? He was unlikely to catch the leaders, but those seconds could be important later. Ahead, Weening won the sprint. A third stage win for Orica Green-Edge!
With the bonus points for finishing third, it looked like Pozzovivo's gain was about 29 seconds. 



 Stage: Pieter Weening
GC: 
The wine: Castelluccio Ronco dei Ciliegi 2007
A sample provided by Winebow.

From the importer: Owned by the renowned oenologist Vittorio Fiore, Castelluccio was originally founded in the 1970s. In the 1980s Vittorio Fiore became the consulting winemaker and in 1999 he purchased the majority of shares in the property.
Castelluccio is nestled in the Modigliana Hills, between the two towns of Faenza and Forlì, at an altitude range of 750 - 1500 feet above sea level. The territory is known as Emilia Romagna and was part of Tuscany until the 1930s. Castelluccio extends approximately 150 acres, with 36 acres of vineyards and 6 acres with olive trees. The soil is compact layered marl and limestone, the location is composed of micro-areas called “ronchi”, referring to the rock formations that protrude from the mountain side, and render a very high quality of grapes. Sangiovese di Romagna, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are the main grape varieties grown at Castelluccio. Sangiovese di Romagna is indigenous and expresses perfectly the character of the terroir and is a central grape to some of the world’s greatest wines.
The heart of Castelluccio’s philosophy is to respect and interpret the characteristics of “Romagna.” An ideal location near both the Adriatic Sea and the Apennine Mountains, it is recognized as a micro-zone for Sangiovese di Romagna as well as being the only DOC named after the ubiquitous grape. The notable uniqueness in terroir contributes greatly to the expression of the varietal. The elite members of the Castelluccio Estate team make every effort to produce wines that reflect its uniqueness. The outcome is wine that compares flawlessly to the Sangiovese grapes being grown in areas of Tuscany just on the other side of the Apennines Mountain.

 I say: Very dark in the glass. Plums, pepper, leather and spice, balanced by some clear acidity. Rounder with more fruit as it opens up a bit. If you have the time and patience, it is one to revisit on day two.
Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)