Wine and Food of the Giro 2016 Stage 8: Brambilla, Siepi and Pappardelle

Where are we? Tuscany! Riding from Foligno to Arezzo. 
From the Giro site: Arezzo has been a major centre in Tuscany since its settlement by the Etruscans. It grew under the Romans, and it prospered and flourished especially in the Middle Ages. Outstanding sights that speak to such heritage include the Basilica of San Francesco – featuring frescoes by Piero della Francesca – and Piazza Grande, one of the most beautiful piazzas in Italy, flanked by an arcade designed by Vasari and by the Palazzo della Fraternità dei Laici (the Palace of the Lay Fraternity).

The most important event held in the city, the Giostra del Saracino (the Joust of the Saracen), is also reminiscent of that time.
COOKING: Fegatelli (pork liver tidbits), pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup), ribollita (bread and vegetable soup), char-grilled meat

WINE: Chianti dei Colli Aretini (red), Valdichiana (white)

Stage: Ahead:

La mamma dei CRETINI è sempre incinta ..... #senzaparole pic.twitter.com/CqVGGMENNR

— Daniele Bennati (@Benna80) May 14, 2016

Our break of the day:

Kadri, Montaguti, De Marchi, Moser, Venter, Brambilla, Trentin, De Bie, Rojas, Sutterlin, Berlato, Arndt, Tcatevich pic.twitter.com/bIRETfB7Oh

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 14, 2016

Ninety-six kilometers to go and their gap was 4:03.  Sixty kilometers to go and 4:33. Thirty kilometers to go and the gap was under four minutes. And then well, I had to go to the convention center. So read the re-cap on Podium Cafe. 

Stage Results:

1.	ITA	Gianluca Brambilla	EQS	4:14:05
2.	ITA	Matteo Montaguti	ALM	1:06
3.	ITA	Moreno Moser	CAN	1:27
4.	RSA	Jaco Venter	DDD	1:28
5.	ITA	Alessandro di Marchi	BMC	1:33
6.	ESP	Alejandro Valverde	MOV	1:41
7.	NED	Steven Kruijswijk	LTJ	"
8.	ESP	Mikel Landa	SKY	"
9.	COL	Johan Esteban Chaves	OGE	"
10.	RUS	Ilnur Zakarin	KAT	"

General Classification:

1.	ITA	Gianluca Brambilla	EQS	33:39:14
2.	RUS	Ilnur Zakarin	KAT	00:00:23
3.	NED	Steven Kruikswijk	TLJ	00:00:33
4.	ESP	Alejandro Valverde	MOV	00:00:36
5.	ITA	Vincenzo Nibali	AST	00:00:45
6.	COL	Johan Esteban Chaves	OGE	00:00:48
7.	COL	Rigoberto Úran	CAN	00:00:49
8.	POL	Rafal Majka	TNK	00:00:54
9.	ITA	Domenico Pozzovivo	ALM	"
10.	ESP	Mikel Landa	SKY	00:01:03

 

Wine: Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepe

Because sometimes there is a tasting the day before the Giro starts. And the wine happens to be Tuscan.
We tasted the 2005, 2006, 2007. 2008, 2011 and 2012. My favorite? The 07. 

From the producer: 
Fonterutoli is located 5 km south of Castellina in Chianti (Siena), on the hills facing the Val d'Elsa, in the heart of the Chianti Classico. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, it still retains its original form, that of a tranquil country village: a cluster of houses, the church of San Miniato and the villa, built at the end of the 1500s where the medieval castle once stood.

Today, the estate boasts a total surface area of 650 hectares, of which 117 are devoted to specialized vineyards, divided between five areas: Fonterutoli, Siepi, Badiola, Belvedere and Caggio, located at between 230 and 500 meters above sea level and exposed to the south and southwest. 

On Siepi: A "cru" made with Sangiovese and Merlot grapes grown on 6 hectares in the Siepi vineyard, one of the best estate parcels. Concentration and complexity make it a wine with an authentic and unique temperament. "One of the 50 wines that changed Italy's wine style" (Gambero Rosso). 

Food: Pappardelle with Braised Duck, Porcini mushrooms, peas, truffle essence

Because why not opt for my entree at the tasting?