White asparagus is a seasonal delicacy that is difficult to resist. French asparagus comes mainly from Provence, Les Landes, Languedoc, and the Loire. It is not difficult to pair with wine.
There’s an old adage that it is a difficult wine pairing but that’s just one more of the old-fashioned myths about the complexity of pairing food and wine. We prefer to serve asparagus with white wine, often with just a little bit of salt and melted butter. It is important not to cook the asparagus too long, though. They must retain their elasticity.
The Germans grow far more asparagus than France. Germany is Europe’s largest asparagus country and ranks third in the world. The Germans, of course, like to pair asparagus with their own wines (and with boiled potatoes and ham, which we are happy to skip), maybe a riesling, a silvaner, a weissburgunder (pinot blanc) or a grauburgunder (pinot gris).
The French like to drink something fresh and aromatic, such as a sauvignon blanc, a chenin blanc, or something from Alsace. But we have noticed that with melted butter or perhaps a hollandaise sauce, a slightly fuller white from southern France is also an excellent option. Bon appetit.
Some recommendations :
Vouvray Cuvée de Silex Bernard Fouquet, 2022, ~15 euro
Sancerre Les Pierris, 2022, Domaine Roger Champault et Fils, Loire Valley, ~18 euro
Viñedos Lo Abarca No. 2, Sauvignon Blanc 2023, Casa Marin, San Antonio, Chile, ~15 euro
Erika O Meticulous, 2021, Sauvignon blanc, Darling, South Africa, ~19 euro
Katie Jones, Blanc 2021, Vin de France, ~12 euro
Galets Dorés Blanc 2022, Château Mourgues du Grès, Costières de Nîmes, Rhône Valley. ~12 euro
