Sunday, May 29, 2016

Wine and Food of the Giro 2016 Stage 21: Ettore Germano Herzu Riesling & Robiola Tre Latti

Where are we? Riding the ceremonial final stage from Cuneo to Torino.

From the Giro site:  Cuneo is named after the shape of the plateau it lies on, at the confluence of the Gesso and Stura rivers. Several hundred metres of porticos and the wide Piazza Galimberti, the most exclusive part of the city, make it a large open-air shopping centre. Bordering the main roads are ancient church portals, the Town Hall and mediaeval houses, while the narrow alleys hold treasures such as the churches of Santa Chiara and Santa Croce, and the former Jewish ghetto in Contrada Mondovì. Cuneo has a rich vegetation, with many gardens and parks, such as the Gesso and Stura riverside park.
COOKING: Bagna cauda, gnocchi alla bava (potato dumplings seasoned with an onion and cheese sauce), croset (fresh pasta), cuneesi al rum (rum-filled chocolate truffles)
WINE: Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera (red wines); Roero Arneis, Moscato (white wines)

Turin was the first capital city of the Kingdom of Italy. In the words of the great architect Le Corbusier, it is “the city with the most beautiful natural position”, as it sits at the heart of Italy, lying close to both the sea and the mountains. Marked by a centuries-old Roman chessboard pattern that can still be seen in the city centre, Turin thrived and prospered especially from the 17th century onwards, as the Savoy family invited the most prominent architects of that time to enrich and embellish their capital. A number of majestic remnants of the Baroque age have survived to the present day, including the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, Piazza Castello with its historic buildings, and the residences of the House of Savoy in Venaria and Stupinigi.Turin then embraced Art Nouveau between the 19th and 20th centuries. Those were also the years when the Mole Antonelliana – the symbol of the city and current seat of the National Cinema Museum – was completed. Turin, the regional capital of Piedmont, is a city of sports, as demonstrated by the 2006 winter Olympics and the designation as European Capital of Sport in 2015. 

COOKING: Typical local appetizers, such as hand-chopped Fassona meat, Olivier salad, vitello tonnato, bell peppers and lingua in salsa verde (veal tongue with a parsley sauce); bagna cauda, agnolotti (with tomato sauce, truffle seasoning, or roasted meat sauce), boiled and wine-braised meats, turineisa (meat-stuffed courgettes), breadsticks, gianduja chocolate

WINE: Canavese, Pinerolese, Valsusa, Erbaluce di Caluso, Collina Torinese (white, red and rosé)


Speaking of cooking:
Nice bike:




The stage: The traditional mainly ceremonial last stage. But are there any sprinters left to contend? They will go around a circuit 8 times, which given the rain could be tricky. 



More attacks would come.  Thirty seven kilometers to go and the two escapees had a minute over the bunch and 37 over several chasers. The roads looked wet in parts. Indeed, a crash in the pack with Chaves and Uran down, among others. The race jury announced that the clock had been stopped for the GC contenders. So long as they finish, they will maintain their placings. There would still be a sprint finish though. 
Twenty kilometers to go and the gap was 43 seconds. Fifteen kilometers to go and it was about 30 seconds. Eleven kilometers to go, Van Emden was out alone with about 10 seconds. Seven kilometers and he had 14 seconds. At the front of the peloton, Jungels was working hard to bring him back. 6.7 and he was caught as Colbrelli crashed hard after possibly making contact with a spectator.
Three kilometers to go and they were all together. At long last, the sprint and Giacomo Nizzolo finally had his Giro win. Behind, in safely, Vincenzo Nibali.

Stage:



Update:


GC:



Wine: Ettore Germano Herzu Riesling 2012
From the importer: Serious Riesling is a pretty new thing in Italy, and when Sergio Germano planted the grape in the hills south of Dogliani, about half an hour from his home in Serralunga, he had no idea how well it would do. He knew he loved the variety and wanted to see how it would come out. The experiment worked: the soils are limestone-rich, the altitude provides excellent fresh acidity, and year by year the 'Herzu' ('steep' in the dialect of the village where it's grown) shows more and more clear Riesling character, and more and more class. The wine shows hints of lime-peel, wet stones, and flowers, with a faint hint of the gasoline aroma that is so varietally typical. All stainless-steel fermentation and aging.



Food: Robiola Tre Latti
The "tre latti" (three milks) indicates that this cheese is a blend of cow's, goat's and sheep's milk, in proportions that probably vary with the seasons. Mixed-milk cheeses such as this one are common in regions where farmers keep mixed herds. They help the cheesemaker manage seasonal fluctuations in milk supply. 
The cheese itself is very creamy, with a slight tang.
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