Wines of the Giro Stage 13

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=13&lang=en

Savona to Cervere

Stage type: Flat

Length of the course: 121 KM

Podium Cafe says:
The stage profile has a few bumps early on, including a category 4 climb to Montezemolo. Inside 10 kilometers to race, there's a sharp uphill ramp. . . .
There is no descent from this final climb. Instead, the course climbs to a plateau and runs flat to the finish. That's bad news for the sprinters, because it means they can't slack on the climb and chase back on the descent. They'll have to put some muscle into this one, if they want to make it to the finish with the main field.
At just 121 kilometers, this stage is short, which will make it difficult for a breakaway to make much progress. They'll get out there just in time for the sprinters' teams to reel them back in. That stealthy uncategorized climb near the finish could offer a shot for someone feeling feisty to foil the sprinters. But it's a long-shot move, really. This one's for Cavendish, if Ferrari doesn't again spoil his party.

Long breakaway, check. Attempts to disrupt the sprinters' plans, check. But in the end: Cav!
EuroHoody 8:27am via web

Sublime victory by Cav; his best of Giro, came from 5th wheel to complete Giro hat-trick #giro

Stage: Mark Cavendish
Maglia Rosa: Joaquim Rodriguez
GC:unchanged
 

Why yes, I do write the stage numbers on the bottles.

Wine: Burlotto G.B. Comm. Verduno Pelaverga 2010 $19.99 at 67Wine

They say: Controlled Denomination of Origin D.O.C. 20/10/1995

This is a DOC classification limited to a small area of vineyards in the territories of Verduno and La Morra, promoted by today’s wine-makers with an aim similar to the one shown by Beato Valfrè (born in Verduno) two centuries ago.

Ripening
The Pelaverga grapes ripen in a medium-late period: in the first ten days of October. The Pelaverga Piccolo grape variety is peculiar to this area and differs from the Pelaverga variety grown in the surroundings of Saluzzo.

Geographical distribution

The Pelaverga Piccolo variety is grown in a small area of the Alba district around Verduno (in the province of Cuneo).

Verduno Pelaverga
It is not to be confused neither with Pelaverga produced in the surroundings of Saluzzo (Pelaverga di Pagno) that in the area of Chieri is called Cari, nor with Pelaverga from Canavese. The wine, which contains at least 85% of Pelaverga Piccolo grapes, has a moderate alcohol content (minimum 11%), a colour not very intense with cherry or violet hues, a spicy aroma, an intense, fragrant, fruity bouquet, and a dry, snappy taste which is velvety and harmonious.

I say:  Spice, white pepper, berries, light ruby color. Fresh and very easy to drink. Makes me think of Beaujolais, in its "gulpability." And, of course, many have said that before.But this is one I will buy more of for summer and beyond.

Wines of the Giro Stage 12

http://www.gazzetta.it/static_images/ciclismo/giroditalia/2012/zoom/planimetria_12.jpg

Stage 12 and we head from 155 kilometers from Seravezza to Sestri Levante.

Steephill tells me that:

Stage 12 is a medium mountain stage starting from Seravezza, a town in the Lucca Province, on the Tuscan Riviera. We'll then head north along the coast for 50 flat km until we hit the first of four categorized climbs. . .

For the final 100 km of this stage we'll snake our way, up and down, through the demanding Cinque Terre and Genoa regions, the most beautiful parts of the Italian Riviera, before the flat finish in Sestri Levante (nice town photo). Stage 12 of the 2006 Giro d'Italia (report) followed a similar route to Sestri Levante but took a more direct route to the finish with less climbing.

The final of the four categorized climbs, the cat 4 Villa Tassani, crests just 11 km from the finish followed by a technical descent and the straight run into Sestri Levante. A break succeeded here in 2006 and it will most likely succeed this year. 

And indeed, a break of 7 went up the road early, joined by 2 more. With 80 kilometers to go they had 1:40 on the main field. Eventually the gap shot up to 7' 00" with 38km to go, as no one in the peloton seemed to want to take on the job of chasing. Eurosport speculated that due to the early rest day during the transfer from Denmark to Italy, the peloton was even more tired than they normally would be at this point in the race.
With about 34 kilometers left, Liquigas came to the front to ride tempo and up the pace a little bit as the time gap began to drop.But at the end of the day: success for the brekaway as Lars Bak attacked out of the group and time trialed his way to the stage win.

MarkCavendish 9:49am via Twitter for iPad

Couldn't be happier for Lars Bak winning today @giroditalia. He's one of the hardest working & moral boosting men alive. Proper good guy.

Stage: Lars Bak
Maglia Rosa: Joaquim Rodriguez
GC:

1	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	51:19:08
2	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:17
3	Sandy Casar (Fra) FDJ-Big Mat	0:00:26
4	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:00:32
5	Ivan Santaromita (Ita) BMC Racing Team	0:00:49
6	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team	0:00:52
7	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team
8	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:57

Cork sniffing.

Wine:  Claudio Vio 2008  Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC Pigato

From the importer:

This is old-school, high-altitude (300mt.) Pigato from the hills of Vedone above Albenga. A steep and curvy ride up the hillside, and you arrive perched between sea and mountains. The sun sets there on the sporadic outcroppings of mountain scrub, olive trees, and, of course, vines. If you were a Giant, skipping regions from Piemonte to Liguria, it'd be a good place to cool off for a picnic lunch with some Pigato and Pesto before heading to sea.

Claudio Vio has taken the reigns form his father, Ettore, in what amounts to only a patch-work of vineyards, gathered from rows of vines that seems more like they're trying to walk off the steep hillsides than form a vineyard.

There's but two Hectares total; just drops of wine to be had; one bad hail storm can wipe out everything. It's a rare, magical, place, and we have Claudio to thank for this rare example of heroic viticulture in Liguria. Very Limited. Sustainable.

Tasting Notes:A subtle wine but with plenty of high-altitude nerve and mountain minerals to it. In fact, we reserve the wines a year in advance and wait to ship them; Vio's wines are always to tightly wound when young. Peppery salad notes: Japanese mizuna and watercress; slate fountain of lime. Grüner Veltliner comparisons will get you a one way high-speed train to Austria.

Vineyard:Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC. 12 km from the sea; 300 meters. Harvest mid-September.

Vinification:Heroically hand-harvested form mountain side. Steel. Wine is not released until it settles and unwinds.

I say: First off, I love the way this wine looks, it is a truly wonderful label. Golden lemon in color. Minerals, citrus peel. I paired this one with a puree made from our backyard, wine barrel grown fava beans and spring onions and I think that helped it to become a bit more rounded.  Melissa did not love the 09, so I would be curious to try another vintage to see if it changes significantly from year to year.

Wines of the Giro Stage 11

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=11&lang=en

Assisi to Montecatini to Terme Length of the course: 255 KM 

From the Podium Cafe preview: At first glance it looks flat, as inevitably a day for Cavendish as Tuesday's stage was for Rodríguez. Not so fast. The stage includes two categorized climbs. The first, the Poggio alla Croce, summits after 154 kilometers of racing. I hear you muttering over there. But Gaaavvvv, why should we care about a category 3 climb midway through the stage? Well, maybe you shouldn't. But you should care about the launchpad of a climb that comes inside the final 15 kilometers of racing. This is a classic Giro pattern: the stage that looks flat, but includes a nasty surprise close to the finish. The climb in Vico runs 3 kilometers and summits with 12 kilometers left to race.

Will it ruin the chances of the sprinters? Really, it's hard to say. Certainly, it adds an element of uncertainty to the proceedings. A feisty rider from the early breakaway could use this climb to escape for a stage victory. A team riding hard could dislodge a sprinter like Mark Cavendish. This kind of stage is what the Giro does best. Unpredictable, just the way I like it.

Note that I opted for Cavedish, Goss and Renshaw in their stage predictor game, a sure sign things may not end in a bunch sprint.  Though, I am in 12th as of the latest update.

MarkCavendish 12:15am via Twitter for iPad

Longest @giroditalia stage today with 258km. Finishes in Montecatini, a place I know well, near my Italian home of Quarrata #bellatoscana

Long indeed. With 82 km left, the break was still 3:13 up the road and Europsort announced that nothing very much was happening and indeed that they did not expect any excitement for quite a while. They asked that viewers tweet in questions to fill some air time.  

And, now a confession. I am heading out to an all day meeting in Lodi today. So I will be unable to update with stage results until this evening. But, for now, wine of the day below.

Oolong investigates the strange object on her cat chair.

Wine:  05 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino  (I had this one on hand as it was originally scheduled as a 2011 Wine of the Giro)

From the producer's website: 

Brunello di Montalcino, is the red wine which constitutes the "heart" of the Talenti winery, produced with 100% Sangiovese grapes since 1981, it grows in the company’s best vineyards. After careful vinification the wine matures in oak barrels (26 and 18 hl) with a small percentage ageing in tonneaus of 500 l for two and a half years, followed by 12 months ageing in the bottle before being sold.

When on the shelf, the wine is ruby-red in colour with an intense, characteristic and delicate aroma, harmonious, with a hint of vanilla and red fruit, wide and warm taste. Persistent, very harmonious and tasty, with a structure and complexity which gives the wine longevity.

I say: A good week for the wines of the Giro continues.  Minerals, flowers and fruit. Rich and juicy.

Wines of the Giro Stage 10 Civitavecchia to Assisi

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=10&lang=en

Civitavecchia to Assisi

• Stage type: Medium mountain
• Length of the course: 186 KM

Once again from Cycling Weekly:

The undulating terrain on stage 10 is going to set up a tiring day for the riders as the 2012 Giro hits the half-way point. There are hills aplenty throughout the 186km, but it's the final five kilometres that will provide the fireworks. Just about everything will be thrown at the riders before they hit the finish line in Assisi: tight corners, a steep 15 per cent gradient and even a short stretch of cobbles.

This is attackers territory. Any escape group will be likely be whittled down to just the few strongest men at this point, and the overall contenders will be keeping a sharp eye on each other up the short final climbs.

From MarkCavendish 

  2:26am via Twitter for iPad

Just saw a video of the finish today of @giroditalia in #Assisi. Oh my, I think it could well be the most beautiful place in Italy!

Cue the doomed break again. Beyond that, for most of the stage the scenery was more interesting than the race. One sensed that the pelotonwas focused on the finish and conserving energy until then. I was particularly delighted by the timing of the race today, as the finish came just seconds before my J was descending underground. To the surprise of really not anyone at all, Joaquim Rodriguez took the stage and also claimed the pink jersey as overall leader after an exciting climax to the afternoon's racing in Assissi.

Stage: Joaquim Rodriguez

Maglia rosa:Joaquim Rodriguez

General classification: 

1  RODRIGUEZ OLIVER, Joaquin (KATUSHA)       40:27:34
2  HESJEDAL, Ryder (GARMIN-BARRACUDA)          + 0:17
3  TIRALONGO, Paolo (ASTANA)                   + 0:32
4  KREUZIGER, Roman (ASTANA)                   + 0:52
5  INTXAUSTI ELORRIAGA, Benat (MOVISTAR)     
6  BASSO, Ivan (LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE)           + 0:57
7  CARUSO, Damiano (LIQUIGAS-CANNONDALE)       + 1:02
8  CATALDO, Dario (OMEGA PHARMA-QUICKSTEP)     + 1:03

http://www.madrose.com/index.php/italy/umbria-lazio/paolo-bea#montefalco-rosso-%E2%80%9Csan-valentino%E2%80%9D

Wine: Paolo Bea Umbria Rosso Vigna San Valentino 07 from Biondivino

	From the producer: As a child, I learned this craft from my father. Our history and tradition is the source of our knowledge and inspiration. Today, my family is here with me, all working together. Our roots in Montefalco trace back to the 1500's, as documents in the village archives attest to. Through passion sustained and Encouraged by my sons, Giuseppe and Giampiero, And Also by the irreplaceable presence of Marina, my wife and mother of my children, our family has to appreciate how to Each Other in  Profound ways, Each day relishing the fruits of our labor at our table. With Each passing year, I better Understand our land, Respecting and caring for it ... and at the end of Each year extract from it a wine Which is totally unique, Continually Developing, Improving, and sustaining our health. With an ever growing conviction, we practice, discover, and appreciate natural winemaking methods That exclude the use of chemicals in the vineyard and artificial stabilizing techniques in the winery. Each season is a new discovery, a chance to apply and evaluate knowledge we have Gained in previous years. From the importer: References in the archives of Montefalco, the beautiful hill town in Umbria, document the presence of the Bea family in this locality as early as 1500. This tiny estate is the classic Italian fattoria, producing wine, raising farm animals for trade and home consumption and working the land to produce olives, fruits and vegetables. To this day, the Bea family raises and produces much of what they consume on a daily basis. Paolo Bea, the senior member of the family, is the guiding force behind the production of this series of intense and idiosyncratic wines. He is assisted by his two sons, Giuseppe, who farms the vineyards, and Giampiero, who assists in the vinification and is responsible for all commercial aspects of the winery. The entire property encompasses 15 hectares: 5 of which are dedicated to the vineyards, 2 to olives, and the remainder to the fruits, vegetables and grains that are grown.  Sagrantino is the predominant grape, covering 60% of the vineyard surface. The remaining 40% is planted to Sangiovese and Montepulciano, with a small parcel planted to several white varieties. The vineyards are cultivated organically, all grapes are harvested manually and all wines are bottled without fining or filtration.

	I say:   Apparently we have reached the Bea section of the Giro. Another pretty wine. Flowers and black cherries with good acidity. Earthy with lots of tannins, let this one breathe a bit and be aware that there will be sediment.

 

Wines of the Giro Stage 9

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=09&lang=en

 

San Giorgio nel Sannio to Fronsinone 

Stage type: Flat Length of the course: 166 KM

Cycling Weekly tells me that:  After a couple of days in the hills, the race turns to flatter country with a relatively short 166km stage from San Giorgio del Sannio to Frosinone.The stage has a slight sting in the tail, with a rise and descent just a couple of kilometres before the finish. Expect to see a couple of late attackers try to spoil the sprinters' party whilst the overall contenders have a 'rest day' in the bunch.

Sure enough a break went out early but by around 50 km left, was down to ~2 minutes with rain ahead at the finishing line. Soon enough it was time to set out for our walk to school, 2 miles for anyone counting, and I switched from Eurosport to the Giro app. And, time for a new Italian word for K: caduta. Plus, $.50 pay my fine for my not so muttered curses as Goss went down in the final corner and took Cavendish and others down with him. Francesco Ventoso went clear to take the win for Movistar.

Stage: Francisco Ventoso

Maglia Rosa: Ryder Hesjedal

GC:  

	Result
1	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	36:02:40
2	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:00:09
3	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:00:15
4	Benat Intxausti Elorriaga (Spa) Movistar Team	0:00:35
5	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:40
6	Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:45
7	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep	0:00:46
8	Frank Schleck (Lux) RadioShack-Nissan	0:00:48
9	Eros Capecchi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:52
10	Rigoberto Uran Uran (Col) Sky Procycling	0:00:53

Wine: 07 "Coenobium Rusticum" Bianco $33.00 at Biondivino 

I'm going to include info here from the importer, but you should really go and read Alder Yarrow's post at Vinography.

From the importer:

History of the Domaine:

Fate can have lovely consequences.  Our fortuitous encounter with the Bea family of Umbria of course led to the unearthing of one of the great domaines of Italy.  But, we have been additionally blessed as we marched together with Giampiero Bea as he made the acquaintance of the Sisters of the Cistercian order living and working at their monastery in Vitorchiano, ninety minutes or so north of Rome in the Lazio district.  Here at this quiet religious outpost eighty women of this religious order work vineyards and orchards and gardens organically.  Under the guidance of Bea, they produce two wines as honest and sympathetic and gracious as they are.

Composition of the Domaine:

The vineyards are planted to a series of four essentially local white grape varieties: Malvasia, Verdicchio, Grechetto and Trebbiano.

The Rusticum is a blend of the same four grapes (Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdicchio and Grechetto) but, in this instance, the juice is left to ferment on the lees for a period of two weeks or more, extracting all of the flavors, colors and textures of its fruit.  The result is a wine of often deep golden color and penetrating minerality with hints of herbs, particularly anise, and wild flowers.  There are approximately 4000 bottles produced annually of this cuvée, the overwhelming majority of which comes to the USA. 

55% Trebbiano, 15% Verdicchio, 20% Malvasia and 10% Grechetto.

I say:  And we have our second orange wine of the Giro, this one from nuns. A bit more yellow than the La Stoppa, this wine smelled of dried orange, malt, cider and roasted nuts.  In the mouth it is complex and changing, a really gorgeous wine.  Tannin and structure made a friend say that on first taste she might have thought this was a red wine.

Wines of the Giro Stage 8

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=08&lang=en

Sulmona-Lago Laceno 
Stage type: Medium Mountain Length of the course: 229 KM

Happy Mother's Day.

The Giro folks sent out a tweet with their thoughts on the stage:
 giroditalia 6:16am via Web

Very nervous stage today. The profile looks like an electrocardiogram. It will be a great show #giro

Another day, another break. Although it was up to 6 minutes at one point, one rider was within 2 minutes of the lead, so it was expected that the peloton would not let them stay away. With around 45 kilometers left, the break was still around 5 minutes and the scenery was more interesting than the day's racing. 

A student protest did at least entertain the Eurosport commentators, who enjoyed discussing memories of protests at races. The post here on Inrg has a great picture of Bernard Hinault in 1982 responding to protesters with his fists. 

With 35 kiometers left, the break was around 3 minutes and Eurosport was showing the grupetto with Cavendish, Phinney and more. Clearly, we were all still waiting for the great show referenced above. At 17.5 km remaining, the break was caught or as La Gazzetta told me " gruppo compatto."

With a steep section looming, Astana massed at the front, perhaps hoping for another stage victory. Next to the front was Liquigas as many riders fell off the back. The attacker of the day was Domenico Pozzovivo, who got a very large gap very quickly, and stayed away to win the stage. Next to attack was Beñat Intxausti, as Ryder Hesjedal struggled to hang on. In the end, Hesjedal did hang on to finish with most of the pre-race favorites and keep pink.

Stage: Domenico Pozzovivo

Maglia Rosa: Ryder Hesjedal
GC: 
1  Hesjedal (GRM) 32:23:25
2  Joa. Rodríguez (KAT) +9
3 Tiralongo (AST) +15
4  Kreuziger (AST) +35
5  Intxausti (MOV) +35
6  I. Basso (LIQ) +40
7 D. Caruso (LIQ) +45
8 Cataldo (OPQ) +46
9 F. Schleck (RNT) +48
10  Capecchi (LIQ) +52
11 R. Urán (SKY) +53
12 Scarponi (LAM) +54
13  Pozzovivo (COG) +55

Wine: Venditti Sannio Rosso $17.00 at Biondivino

From the importer: 

Back in 1988, the Italian wine guide Gambero Rosso introduced the word organic for the first time with its review of Venditti's wines.  For over 20 years, Nicola Venditti has believed in tilling the soil and being certified organic. Those who still believe that “organic” equals “non-scientific” should think again. Nicola is an enologist and the very incarnation of a contadino (farmer). The vineyards have been in the family for over 400 years (thus the “antica” part of Antica Masseria), and he feels deeply passionate about his territory of Sannio, an area that may be less well known than the neighboring Taurasi, but is a real forgotten gem

Nicola Venditti eschews oak and kneels at the altar of steel; letting these wines really show their clean and distinct fruit of the native grapes (some of which he only cultivates). Come before harvest, and Mr. Venditti will  you taste the rare grape Barbertta in his didactic vineyard; and explain how Montepulciano and Barbera where catch-words for varieties people knew by sight by didn't have a set name for. His cantina is clean and he gladly whistles out PH and acid levels for those inclined. This humanist-techno-geek approach, he explains, is a combination of the "humanity" of ancient methods and local varieties, together with the "rationality" offered by technology.

He night-time harvests in order to bring in the grapes at a lower temperature for more precise aromatics and fruit flavors. The cleaner and fresher that the fruit is brought in, the cleaner and fresher the wine.  The harvest continues through the night and ends with a celebration: a large traditional breakfast, replete with wine, bread, and other various sweet and salty foods. Bread dipped in wine is a favorite.

Field blend of 50% "Montepulciano," 30% Olivella, 20% Aglianico. Deep purple color; nose of mulberry and cured black olives; walnut skin tannins; top flower notes. The native Olivella give that a hint of flower, as well as, some structure to the wine. "Montepulciano is in quotes because it seems very different (in taste and morphology) from the Montepulciano found in Abruzzo and elsewhere. Long live the daily drinkin' field blend and family style meals. 

I say: Pretty.  Deep purple with a nose that suggests flowers and cherries. Fresh, vibrant and juicy. I like this one a lot.

Wines of the Giro Stage 7 Recanati – Rocca Di Cambio

http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/Giroditalia/2012/it/tappa.shtml?t=07&lang=en

An uphill finish! Stage 7 takes the riders from Recanati to Rocca Di Cambio. Rocca Di Cambio was a popular destination for finishing stages of the Giro in the 1960′s having hosted stage finishes in ’65, ’66 and ’68. Shortly after leaving L’Aquila, the climb to Rocca Di Cambio begins. The final 17.5km climb is at an average of 4.5%, peaking at 9%  not far from the summit. 

Cycling Weekly says:

On paper - or screen - today's sharp, uphill finish looks like it should make the overall contenders show their hand for the first time. However, many will be mindful that there are still two weeks and some proper high mountains still to come.

What we'll probably get, then, is a whittled down group of riders heading up the Rocca di Cambio all nervously looking at each other and with no real time gains made by any of the big contenders in isolation. Although we'd love to be proved wrong.

And off they went. Cue a break, this time with four riders: Reto Hollenstein, Matteo Rabottini, 
Fumiyuki Beppu and Mirko Selvaggi. With about 80k from the finish, they were ahead of the peloton by around eight minutes, while Eurosport discussed the difficult stages coming in the last week of the race. I feel sometimes for the cycling announcers, they have a lot of air time to fill and there are many moments with little action to describe. With around 68 or so kilometers left the discussion focused on the languages spoken by the different teams. 

Just around that point it was time for a weekly Ferry Plaza farmers market trip. This is often a problem during live races, but to my great delight, I discovered that with the Giro iphone app I can watch while anywhere. So apricots and racing, though I admit to frequent shopping breaks because things did get interesting today as Astana's Paolo Tiralongo came around Michele Scarponi in the last few meters for the stage victory.  Frank Schleck finished third ahead of Joaquim Rodriguez, while Garmin's Ryder Hesjedal finished fifth and became the first Canadian to wear the magia rosa. Do go and see this great picture at Podium Cafe of the stage winner after crossing the line.

Stage: Paolo Tiralongo

Maglia Rosa: Ryder Hesjedal 

General classification after stage 7

1	Ryder Hesjedal (Can) Garmin - Barracuda	26:16:53
2	Paolo Tiralongo (Ita) Astana Pro Team	0:00:15
3	Joaquim Rodriguez Oliver (Spa) Katusha Team	0:00:17
4	Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:21
5	Peter Stetina (USA) Garmin - Barracuda	0:00:26
6	Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Katusha Team
7	Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Astana Pro Team	0:00:35
8	Ivan Basso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale	0:00:40
9	Giampaolo Caruso (Ita) Katusha Team	0:00:45
10	Dario Cataldo (Ita) Omega Pharma-Quickstep

http://www.vinusinc.com/Jasci.html

The wine: Jasci Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2009 $16.99 from  67 Wine

The importer says: The generous vineyards of Jasci have been handed down from generation to generation, forming an irreplaceable heritage and tie to the Earth. Located in the Abruzzo region, the sunny rolling hills between sea and mountain coupled with old fashioned techniques and modern technology have resulted in wines synonymous with quality and genuineness.
The Jasci family personally participates in every stage of their wine production throughout the art of their viticulture, while respecting Mother Earth and her best products. The wines are tenderly cared for throughout creation, and then are stored in the Jasci cellar, which was constructed and prepared in part by using modern and functional organic architecture, where they rest and mature with close attention.
Since 1980, Jasci wines have been certified organic by the Soil and Health Association, which guarantees the organic production of their grapes in the Colli in Vasto and the Masseria Martina in Pollutri, as well as all the winemaking processes.
The vineyards are cared for daily in order to identify preventive measures needed in each of the winemaking phases, which preserves the genuineness of the fruits of that delicate balance between technology and tradition that is Jasci.
Winery website: www.jasci.it 

Ruby red, with hints of mature red fruits, jams and slight notes of cinnamon and vanilla. Balanced and harmonious with a touch of pleasant tannins

Best with the following Abruzzese cuisine: Potato gnocchi, “sagnette e fagioli” (pasta with beans), lamb, and stuffed rabbit

I say: Organic! Yup, ruby red. Cherries and tannin. Easy to drink. Paired well with my burger.