Monday, October 5, 2020

Wine and Food fo the Giro 2020 Stage 3: Enna to Etna

Where are we?
 Visiting a Sicilian volcano.
Enna:The Giro tells me that: Enna is known as the highest Regional County Seat in Italy, between 900 and 990 metres high. It was called by Romans Urbs Inexpugnabilis because it was unassailable, Sicily Midpoint because it is in the centre of the island, and Sicily Overlook for the panoramic views. Sheltered on this upland, Enna offers a breath-taking postcard, given by a territorial shape almost unique in the world, due to the lack of mountain chains nearby, high enough to blind the view. It was a fortress for the past three millenniums for peoples like Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabians, Normans, Suevians and Aragoneses. Enna is a city full of history and it can praise a monumental heritage among the biggest in the Region.

Specialties: DITTAINO BREAD WITH THE COMMUNITY BRAND DOP AS IT MARKS ITSELF FOR ITS PARTICULAR CRUST TEXTURE AND FOR ITS ABILITY TO PRESERVE FOR 5 DAYS ITS SMELL, TASTE AND FRESHNESS WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF ANY PRESERVATIVES. THESE UNIQUE PROPERTIES ARE LINKED TO THE DURUM WHEAT AND TO THE USE OF NATURAL YEAST.
PIACENTINO ENNESE CHEESE DOP A VERY PARTICULAR AND FINE KIND OF CHEESE, AS THE WHOLE MILK, FROM SICILIAN SHEEP, IS WORKED WITH SAFFRON, WHICH GIVES IT A UNIQUE TASTE AND COLOUR.
VUCCIDDATI TYPICAL BISCUITS MADE OF SHORTCRUST PASTRY WHOSE FILLING CAN BE DRY FIGS, ALMONDS OR JAM.
SAFFRON SO CALLED ‘RED SICILIAN GOLD’ BECAUSE YOU NEED ABOUT 140.000 FLOWERS TO HAVE 1 KG OF IT AND ABOUT 30 DAYS FOR ITS HARVEST.
OLIVE-GROWING IS THE THIRD PRODUCTIVE BRANCH OF THE TERRITORY, AFTER WHEAT AND ZOOTECHNICS. THE ‘GREEN GOLD’ FROM ENNA IS CLASSIFIED AS SICILIAN IGP OIL.

Etna: The Giro tells me that: Linguaglossa is located 44 Km far from Catania, 550  m a.s.l. It is a typical Etnean village with streets and portals in lava stone, ancient buildings and multiple alleys adorned with murals. In the past, Linguaglossa was linked to the production and transport of the big pines of Etna, whose wood and resin have been indispensable materials over the centuries.

Specialties: The product par excellence of Linguaglossa is undoubtedly “Salsiccia al ceppo”, pork meat cut by hand in small pieces, with the typical knife called “partituri”, and processed and stuffed on an oak stump, tree of the Etnean area. It is flavored with the addition of salt, pepper and the typical wild fennel seeds, to be finally stuffed into natural casings. Its typical knot shape is given by the use of a string which is removed before eating. Usually, a way to taste this delicacy is to accompany it with “colicedda” (brassica fruticulosa), a local spontaneus vegetable from the Etnean area.
The typical dishes of the town derive from skilful combinations of local products, such as olives, mushrooms, oregano, wild fennel etc., and consist of first corse based on vegetables and second corse of meat seasoned with local essences, side dishes of mushrooms and wild vegetables. In all the local pastry shops you can also find almond and hazelnut pastries, “mastazzoli” and “granita” in the summer.


The stage: Hey, it is Monday. Why not climb a volcano? Really this felt like it should be a weekend stage, but so be it.
A stage like this would have always felt significant, but with fears of a shortened race due to both Covid and potential weather issues in the north, it felt huge.
The break of the day: With fifty kilometers to go, the gap was 5:10. Thirty kilometers to go and the gap was under four minutes. Some trivia from the Giro: Two hour record holders in the breakaway: On 16 April 2019, in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Victor Campenaerts broke the World Hour Record, riding 55.089 km. Less well known is that, on 4 October 2018, Mikkel Bjerg, aged 19, broke the Danish Hour Record with a distance of 53.730 metres.
In the peloton, although they had sped up, action was not expected until the final climb. Drifting off the back of that bunch, Geraint Thomas, raising concerns that he was on a very bad day early in the race. Something was clearly wrong and it was not a good sign that after dropping back to help, Ben Swift was sent back to the bunch. Thomas had crashed earlier in the day, though we did not see it, but this was very unexpected. He had Ganna for help and was hovering around 20 seconds behind the peloton, pre-climb. That gap would keep going out. Fifteen kilometers to go and he was around a minute back from the main bunch.
The gap to the remaining break riders, Visconti and Caicedo, was about 245.
Another shock, Yates in trouble. With Thomas, he had been a pre-race favorite.
It turns out when they said this stage could be decisive for gc, they meant it. I found myself humming the theme to Jaws.
Seven kilometers to go and the gap to the duo up front was 1:45.
Attacking from the peloton, Castroviejo, trying to save something on the day from Ineos.
Four kilometers to go and Caicedo solo out front still had over a minute. 
Behind, an attack from the main group by Kelderman. That main group was getting very small. We had expected a small group at the end, but a few of the expected riders were absent.
One kilometer to go and Caicedo had about one minute. He would hold on for a well-deserved victory. Second, Visconti.

Stage:
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Jonathan Caicedo (Ecu) EF Pro Cycling4:02:33
2Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Vini Zabu' KTM0:00:21
3Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Lotto Soudal0:00:30
4Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb0:00:39
5Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team0:00:51
6Rafal Majka (Pol) Bora-Hansgrohe
7Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek-Segafredo
8Jonathan Castroviejo Nicolas (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers
9Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling
10Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma0:00:56

GC:
General classification after stage 3
Pos.Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Joao Almeida (Por) Deceuninck-Quickstep7:44:25
2Jonathan Caicedo (Ecu) EF Pro Cycling
3Pello Bilbao (Spa) Bahrain McLaren0:00:37
4Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb0:00:42
5Harm Vanhoucke (Bel) Lotto Soudal0:00:53
6Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Trek-Segafredo0:00:55
7Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) NTT Pro Cycling0:00:59
8Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Team Emirates0:01:11
9Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team0:01:13
10Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team Jumbo-Visma0:01:15


The wineCalabretta Etna Rosato
From the producerFrom 4 generations, the Calabretta family has grown grapes according to the century-old traditions of Etna; minimizing vineyard treatments, (only low quantity of “Copper Sulphate” & “Sulphrum”). We make the “green manure”, the “mulch”, “plowing”, “strictly pruning the vines”. Our head pruned vineyards are delineated by volcanic stone walls that crisscross our landscape. 

The volcanic soil of our area, combined with the dramatic temperature differential between day and night; the high solar daily yields grapes of singular expression when harvested in the middle of October only perfectly ripe. Our wines’ flavors and aromas are a marvelous expression of this special part of Italy. 
In our vineyards, depending on the season, you can find fichi d’India (prickly pear), sparagogne (a bitter variety of asparagus) and cavolicelli (an indigenous type of rappini) that we harvest for family and friends. At higher elevations, you can find brooms and mountain flowers. And all the time: we protect and maintain the landscape of our dry-set lava stone walls and clear the ancient pathways to our vineyards.  
The company's tradition is rooted in this land, in fact, already in the early 1900s we were producing and exporting large quantities of wine. At the same time, the town of Passopisciaro arose to accommodate the many peasants who were arriving en masse looking for work. This lead to the construction of large millstones “palmenti” , and the emergence of many small producers. Today, a century later, Etna is renowned for its wines of character and tradition. 
Rosato: rosé wine from young vineyrds in contrada Calderara. Origin from a rigorous “massale” (ancient vinyards) selection of the vines. A big number ungrafted. Ancient traditional fermentation “Pista & Mutta” (to press = pista & to transfer = mutta) without the solid part we have low colour & low tannin. This was the wine of the farmer… he can drink at once ! Fruit, floreal with structure. Dedicated to the ancient ways. 

The food: Dittaino Bread. I learned a lot here, including this: At European level, few breads have been awarded by PDO recognition: “Pane di Altamura” (Altamura bread), “Pagnotta del Dittaino” (Dittaino bread), and “Pane Toscano” (Tuscany bread), all produced in Italy, and the Swedish bread “Upplandskubb”. Dittaino PDO bread is obtained from durum wheat semolina and, starting from durum wheat cultivation, all its processing steps take place within the area closely surrounding the Sicilian town of Enna (Italy), along the Dittaino river 

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