Ep. 587 Giro D'Italia 2021 Stages 17, 18 & 19 | Between Wine And Food By Marc Millon

Italian wine podcast. Chinchin with Italian wine people. Sniff. Sir. What's that again? Here we go. Swirl, sniff, sip, sniff. What are you saying? Don't forget this tasting tip. Welcome to this special edition where we talk wines and the giro d'italians. We held an exceptional clubhouse room dedicated to Jiro D'italia, but it was not recorded. I know. I know bummer, but anyways, we thought about sharing some notes about the pages of the Jiro written and read by Mark Millen. A food, wine, and travel writer, and the author of numerous books, as well as magazine articles published on both sides of the Atlantic. Stay tuned. Smith. What are you saying? Don't forget these testing tips. Okay, everyone. The final push just five days left of this year's fabulous edition of the Jiro D'italia. So far it's given huge thrills as it has passed through thirteen of Italy's twenty regions. There have been breakaways and unexpected stage winners. Many of whom have been Italian. There has been incredible teamwork as domestiques have toiled for their team leaders. There has been drama and heroics in the high mountains with more to come. We have enjoyed stunning countryside history and culture too. And all along the way, there has been a wealth of fabulous wines that demonstrate the incredible variety of grapes, styles, and types that Italy has to offer. Thanks for sticking with me, and let's enjoy these final days. Here are my reports for stages seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen. Stage seventeen, Kanaze to Segadala one hundred and ninety three kilometers. Just five days remain in this year's giro d'italia, before the victors will be proclaimed on the podium in Milan. Sixteen stages have now been completed from the far north of Italy to the south, from east to west and back up the highest mountains to the north once more. There is still much work and many more mountains yet to be climbed. Though young Egan Bernal of Ineos Granadiers has further extended his hold on the Malia Rosa. Past experience shows that nothing is ever certain in the Chiarodetania. Yet, whatever happens on Monday, Bernal wrote himself into Jiro history and into the hearts of all t fosi on the inhospitable snow covered peaks of Pasa jewel. The nature of a grand tour with so many races going on within the race itself means that it is quite possible to win one. Without ever winning a single stage. Bernal has now won two and he showed the nature of his heart and desire under the most testing conditions on this year's Chima Kopi. He toiled, he suffered, and he risked all, which is what the t fos he want to see in their cycling heroes. High up at over two thousand two hundred and thirty meters in horrific cold and freezing rain, He attacked ruthlessly and cold bloodedly. Cross the summit, then descended in slippery and dangerous conditions at risk losing everything with the slightest mistake. As he approached the finish, he even had the time and the thought to take his hands off the bars and with supreme bike handling skills, take off his rain jacket before he rolled over the finish line, arms aloft. When I attacked, I wanted to do something special. He said quietly when interviewed. The team believed in me. It was hard because of the weather. And when it is like this, you need to be hard in mentality. It was a day to suffer and we did it. I wanted to cross the line showing the Malia Rosa. It is not every day you can win a stage in the Jiro while wearing the Malia Rosa, and I wanted to show my respect. After Tuesday's Wellner and rest day, The cyclist will take to the high mountains again as they move across Trentino, which together with, makes up an autonomous region that is another unstinting source of outstanding wines. From Nadine speaking Canizae, the route race is south, mainly downhill for some ninety kilometers before reaching Trent to itself and the Adijay Valley. There will certainly be a chance for opportunistic equeways to make their dash for glory today. However, the sting of stage seventeen is most definitely in the tail for two mighty mountains must be climbed, both of first category difficulty. Pasadena San Valentino first, and then the fearsomely steep segadiala for a mountain top finish. Such cycling makes huge demands on the body. The number of calories burned by the riders each day is immense and they must do their best to eat both while riding as well as each evening in order to recover, put fuel back in the tank and have something in their legs for the following day. They need to rehydrate too. And so do we? So as we travel down through Trentino, I'm going to make a quick detour above Trentel to visit a pair of inspirational and innovative winemakers who I first met three decades ago. Ferentino Sandri and Mario Poyais at the Poyais Sandri winery in Fayedo near San Mikale Aldi Jay. Their enthusiasm and desire to try new things, think outside of the box, follow new techniques, and create new wines. Well, not have waned at all since we met all those years ago. They produce a fascinating and creative range of wines. Though today, I just want something simple, clean, razor sharp to keep me on my toes. For these final days of the Jiro. Poyera Sandri nosiola is just the ticket, delicate, pure and clean fruit, green apple acidity, and a slightly bitter hazelnut finish. This will be invigorating with a steaming ball of canardly bread dumplings flavored with speck and cheese served in a rich and tasty broth. Then it's back on my virtual bike as a giro d italia, moves relentlessly towards its conclusion. Stage eighteen, Roberto to Stradella, two thirty one kilometers. It's not over until it's over. That's what everyone always says about the giro d'italia. Just when it looked like this year's edition was turning into a procession for the all conquering ineos grenadiers. Their team leader, Egon Bernal, the Malia Rosa faltered to show a chink of weakness in the high mountains. Dan Martin of new team Israel startup nation managed to get himself in the breakaway and the Irishman just about managed to hold out for a famous stage win in the sun on the high and remote peak of Segadiala. Meanwhile, towards the top of the mountain, when gutsy Simon Yates attacked and Bernal followed and looked like the Colombian would gain further time on most of his GC rivals. No one expected him to suddenly lose his legs in nearly a minute to the rider from team bike exchange, Yates, with even Domiano Caruso and Diego Ulyssi gaining a few seconds on the Malia Rosa at the finish. Yesterday was by no means the upset of world order. Bernal still has a decent hold on the Malia Rosa. And even if he wasn't firing on all cylinders, he was still stronger than most of the other GC contenders, notably gaining time on Alexander Vlasov and Hugh Carthy both of whom had started the morning on the GC podium, but who have now fallen way back in time. Yesterday was good for the Jiro. The Tifosi liked to see their heroes suffer, to have bad legs, to have doubts in the minds. Will Bernal be able to overcome his difficulties? His doubts, we will see when the Juto returns to the high mountains again on Friday and Saturday? Should he not? Should a new hero emerge in the few days still remaining? And I would love to see Simon Yates who knows the bitter taste of failure, then we will all hail their achievement and toast the Victor with good Italian wine. Stage eighteen commences in rovareto. Surrounded by vine covered hills where Martsemino grapes are cultivated for this popular Trentino red. Verseilvino at cielante, Martsemino commands the Liberty Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera. Towards today's stage conclusion, the route passes through Varonkole birthplace of the composer, Giuseppe Verde, who himself owned a farm that produced the wines, as well as Salumi, that he on my eighth stroke always took with him on his travels across Europe. So there will be plenty to keep us well hydrated as we continue our race across Italy. But whose praises will we be singing at the finish. On paper, today looks like an altogether more straightforward. Dare, I say even somewhat relaxing stage, from rovarado along the shores of Lake Garda, then below verona and across the Flat Po Valley to the wine hills of the Altripo paveza. Believe me, it won't be a stroll in the park by any means. We're in the final days of the Jiro and there is still so much at stake. If the GC won't be altered by today's stage barring heaven forbid, a crash. The Malia Chiclamino competition is still far from decided. With a nasty fourth category climb thrown in just before the finish in stradella in the heart of the Ultra Paveza. It is a day the team Bora Hansgrove will want to control, not least to keep their main man, Peter Sagan, in cyclamen. I expect them to keep as high a pace as they can on the climb to soften up those few remaining tops sprinters who've somehow managed to endure and get through the mountain stages. Sagan will definitely be going for the stage win, and I hope he will achieve it. Whatever happens and whoever wins. At the finish, I'm planning to be toasting the days, victors, with a flute or two of one of my favorite sparkling wines. The La Verca Cantiva was founded in nineteen o five. And from almost the outset, decided collectively to concentrate on the cultivation of Pino Nero one of the world's greatest, if most temperamental varieties. It grows well here in the mainly clay and sandstone hills, maintaining fragrance as well as acidity and is utilized to produce an standing range of wines made sparkling by Matodo Clasico, secondary fermentation in the bottle. Testerosa is a co operative's flagship, a vintage wine produced entirely from Pino Nero with bottle aging on the lees for no less than three years prior to de gorgement. It demonstrates the richer style of sparkling wine that comes from Ultrrego's winehills where vineyards have been cultivated since antiquity. The bubbles are fine and persistent. And it is a sparkle with real elegance and finesse, yet one that also has a structure to be more than capable of accompanying food too. Today's stage passes near the great rice growing area of Veneto, around Isula Deliscala below verona. Which specializes in the cultivation of violone Nano. I fancy something rather elegant, not too heavy. So I'm going to ask my private and virtual chef to Russell for me a plate of risotto Omettudo classical, a glass or two of the testarosa added to the cooking pot after the tostatora of the rice. Yes. Bubbles that have been painstakingly coaxed into the bottle get lost. The moment the wine hits the pan, but the gorgeous, whiny flavor of the couvet will enter into the creamy rice, cooked perfectly, alonda, perhaps topped with some chopped wild fennel fronds, some grilled scampy, or gambaroni. A bit good. Maybe even a bit refined for sweaty, odiferous, and ravenous cyclists admittedly. But I feel in need of a treat tonight simply for having managed to make it this far with my daily reportage. It's been almost, but not quite as exhausting as the cycling. Stage nineteen, Abiate Grasso to Al pedimera one hundred and sixty six kilometers. Just two more stages in the high mountains before the final kronome metro time trial that finishes in Milan's Piazza del momo on Sunday. From nobody, we head back into Piedmont today, passing through Nevada where day two finished. How long ago that seems? Imagine how long ago that feels to the cyclists. Yesterday's long stage from the wine hills of Roberto in Trentino to the wine hills of the Altripo paveze via the flat and fast Po valley turned out to be mainly a transitional stage, a speedy movement of men and machines across the country and readiness for the rigors to come over the final days. As such, it provided another ideal opportunity perhaps the last opportunity in this year's Jiro for a breakaway. The Malia Rosa GC contenders as well as those vying for the Malia Chiclamino and Malia Azuro were content to leave the day to those riders who weren't a threat to any of them. And thus a large group of twenty three managed to build up a substantial time lead, so creating virtually a separate race within the race. To the delight of the crowd lining the streets in Stradella, yet another Italian rode to a famous solo victory, Alberto Betial of EF Education Nippo. The main Peloton, meanwhile, trailed in a laggardly twenty three and a half minutes behind with the standings unchanged. Most significantly, Peter Sagan of Bora Hansgrove remains in the Malia Chicamino. He and his strong teammates should be able to control the remaining intermediate point sprints in the days to come. So barring any incident, my hope is that Sagan will win the points competition and so where the Sequium in Jersey on the podium in Milan. A notable achievement to add to his more than impressive cycling Palmaris. He's already won the green Jersey in the Tour de France, the equivalent of the Malia cicamino, an incredible seven times, as well as the rainbow jersey awarded to world champions. A first points victory in the Giro D'italia will cement Sagan's position as truly one of the greatest cyclists of his generation. Today and tomorrow though, he will have to endure two more days of suffering in the high mountains. Stage nineteen departs numberedy from Aviate Grasso to reenter Piedmont, passing through the vineyards of Novada and the Altopía Monte once more, then briefly along the shores of Lagodimajore before climbing into the high mountains of Valsezia for a final ten kilometer ascent to a summit finish on alpe di Merra. Will Bernal have recovered from his momentary weakness that we glimpsed on the high slopes of Sega Diala with Yates, Caruso, and the others have the courage and the legs to attack today as they must if they are to have any hope of wrestling the Malia Rosa from the Colombian, or where they leave it until tomorrow, an even harder alpine test, hoping that it might be their best moment of opportunity. We shall see From the summit of Al Petimera, there should be stunning views of the Monteuroza chain today, weather permitting. This is the most magnificent alpine country in summer or in winter. I love mountains. And I love mountain wines too. That ethereal character that comes only from grapes grown at high altitude. There's no wine, more ethereal, more sheer and exhilarating than Blanc de la Salle made from pre a blanc grapes cultivated traditionally on low trellis vineyards planted at up to twelve hundred meters above sea level, the highest vineyards in Europe. All the better when enjoyed after a day's skiing, walking, or best of all cycling. But today, I'm going to choose a mountain wine from Lombardi's Valena instead. I need something more powerful and weighty to fortify and put strengthen the legs in mind for the final days to come. Nino Negris, Veltilina cinquestelle Sforza, a dry passita wine produced only in the best years from Kyavanasca grapes, a clone of Nebiolo. Grown at high altitude, harvest it, and then air dried in the clean and arid al Piner. Then one more day in the mountains tomorrow, but what a day before the thirty kilometer time trial? A race against the clock into Milan City Center. We're almost there. Keep those legs turning. Keep that wine flowing. Sir. What's that again? Here we go. Swirl, sniff, sip, sniff. What are you doing? Don't forget these tasting tips.