Where are we? Climbing in the Haut Savoie
Annemasse: The regional tourist site Annemasse, a city on a human scale in the center of the Geneva basin. Ideally located between the lake and the mountains, with direct access, you can use the voieVerte to discover the different districts of the city by bike or on foot. Close to the train station, Chablais Parc, with its modern and commercial eco-neighborhood, will allow you to eat and start your shopping. Then, head for the city center with its pedestrian zone, restaurants, shops and farmers’ market.
A dynamic city! Annemasse is a mix of cultures, a wide range of services and leisure activities, and a rich calendar of sports and cultural events. Are you looking for the Château Rouge or the Château Bleu (cultural scene vs. aquatic center)? Let yourself go to the rhythm of your desires. Stroll through one of the city’s libraries. Rejuvenate at La Bulle, stop by the contemporary art center. Enjoy the fresh air of the banks of the Arve or take part in one of the local events.
Urban at first glance, Annemasse has many surprises in store for you. Come and relax! Many green spaces are waiting for you. At the turn of a street, you will discover a park populated with hundred-year-old trees. A work of art is next to the public road. The modern is next to the old. A unique identity that marks the metamorphosis of the city.
Regional Specialties: fillets of perch, féras, ombles, lake trout. Chignin-bergeron (wine). Fondue savoyarde, potato-based bognettes, crozets, péla, tartiflette, diots, polenta, rioutes, longeole (flavoured charcuterie). Bugnes, blueberry pie.
Morzine les Portes du Soleil: The regional tourist site tells me that Located in the heart of the Alps, the Haute-Savoie resort has 2 tourist sites: Morzine, a charming village resort at an altitude of 1,000 meters, and the Avoriaz resort at an altitude of 1,800 meters. Located in the heart of the Portes du Soleil area and close to Geneva International Airport, Morzine is a must-see destination in summer and winter.
Lifts, ice rink, golf, aquatic area, pedestrian paths, mountain bike trails, summer sledding… The resort has a variety of quality infrastructures. Morzine, it is also bars, restaurants and a varied commercial offer.
The instagram images are idyllic.
Regional Specialties: fondue, raclette, polenta, croziflette, stuffing, Abondance (cheese).
Christian Prudhomme says: It’s unlikely that the riders will enjoy the view of Lake Geneva at the start of the stage, as the 4,200 metres of climbing will be on everyone’s mind, and especially the climbs of the Ramaz and Joux Plane passes. Everyone will also aware that they’ll need show some real skill on the descent into Morzine in order to claim victory
The stage: A terrible start to the day with a huge crash with many riders down or held up. So many that the race was stopped for a bit to riders to get organized again. Abandoning after the crash, Pedrero, Chaves, and Meintjes. A new crash further down the road would lead to the abandonment of Shaw and Bardet.
Under 120 kilometers to go and there was a large break with a 20 second gap.
The break consisted of Kwiatkowski, Martínez, Pinot, Powless, Alaphilippe, Landa, Poels, Politt, Ciccone, Lopez, Geschke, Aranburu, Gorka Izagirre, Jorgenson, Woods, Houle, Neilands, Craddock, Champoussin, Lutsenko and Johannessen.
That group would come apart as they climbed. Surging to the front were Woods and Ciccone.
93 kilometers to go and the lead five were Ciccone, Pinot, Aranburu, Woods, Landa and Poels. Their gap was not large and they would be joined by Lutsenko, Houle, Johannessen, Izagirre, Martin, and Martínez. 70 kilometers to go and they had 30 seconds. Word of another DNF, Sinkeldam.
60 kilometers to go and it was only Ciccone and Woods off the front with a small gap. Soon enough, they were reabsorbed into the peloton.
That peloton was rapidly shrinking and it would continue to shrink as the figh intensified. And what a battle it was between the two gc men, but neither would take the stage win. Instead, Carlor Rodriguez, with his first TdF stage win after going solo on the downhill.
Stage:
GC:
The wine: Domaine Jean Vullien Cremant de Savoie NV
From Copake Wine Works
An importer tells me that: While this alpine area of eastern France may be better known for
skiing than viticulture, a cadre of Savoyard vignerons are producing excellent wines. The region’s
best come from a boomerang-shaped string of hillside villages between Grenoble and Albertville
(site of the 1992 Winter Olympics) called the Combe de Savoie (Combe is a word of Celtic
origin meaning a sharp, deep valley). Jean Vullien and his two sons, David and Olivier, tend 69
acres on the Combe in the villages of Chignin, Montmélian, Arbin, St-Jean de la Porte, and their
hometown of Fréterive.
The domaine’s holdings include all of the region’s indigenous grape varieties, as well as
strategically-placed parcels of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (the boys both graduated from La
Lycée Viticole in Beaune). The wines range from a crisp, lemon and mineral Jacquère-based white
that British wine author Andrew Jefford would categorize as “Muscadet of the Alps” to complex
floral and spiced reds made from Mondeuse. In recent years, David and Olivier have also earned
a reputation for their excellent Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wines.
Though the Vulliens have been making wine for 40 years, the family is perhaps best known as
a leader in another segment of the wine industry. Since 1890, Vullien Pépinière Viticole (vine
nursery) has been supplying young vines to growers throughout France. In fact, they were the
source for about 25% of the Chardonnay planted in Chablis after the ravages of phylloxera.
The food: Fondue
Deviating from our normal recipe for this one, from the regional tourist site
– 30 cl of white wine from the Savoie (or dry white wine)
– 400 g of Comté*
– 400 g of Swiss Gruyère* (or Emmental or Vacherin)
– 400 g of Beaufort*
– 1 clove of garlic
– Pepper
– 1 tablespoon of mustard
– 3 cl of Kirsch (optional)
– 500 g of bread (ideally from a day-old country loaf)
– 1 item of salad
– 1 egg (for the end of the fondue)
*For a Swiss fondue, replace the Comté and Beaufort with Emmental and Sbrinz.
1. Pour half of the dry white wine into the fondue pot and allow to simmer for 5 minutes on a high heat.
2. Put the fondue pot on a low heat and gradually add your cheese to the pot.
3. Drizzle the Savoie white wine over the cheese several times, covering it generously.
4. Allow it all to melt, stirring continuously in a figure-of-eight pattern using your wooden spoon until the fondue becomes smooth and homogeneous.
5. Add a few drops of Kirsch, the mustard and a little pepper and allow to cook for 5 more mins, stirring continuously.
6. Serve your fondue with a salad and a good bottle of local white wine. Before the end of the meal, you can add an egg yolk, mix with the remaining bread and cheese and turn off the fondue.
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