Asparagus and wine

Now that the 'Clocks' have returned to Rome, the real spring can begin. Gradually the first fresh vegetables such as asparagus are on our plate, and they beg for a delicious glass of appropriate wine ! Benoît and myself are both big fans of Belgian white gold. Every year it is therefore impatient to wait for the very first Belgian asparagus to arrive.

Asparagus is a very pure and fine vegetable that I prefer to have on my plate in all purity and then approach it in the glass. Depending on the preparation and what is served with it, the wine choice can be slightly adjusted. Due to its delicate, fresh-bitter and vegetal taste , not every wine can cope with it, but that makes it very interesting. Below I have selected three of my favorite dishes with asparagus and I have always added two wines that I think are a 'match made in heaven'.

health!

Fresh spring salad with asparagus points, boiled ham and soft-boiled egg

A fresh salad that I often make at home in the spring, super simple, quickly prepared and with top ingredients.

Tips for the salad: 

- Use a good cooked ham for the salad: eg. Brasvar ham from Nevele;
- Arrange the soft-boiled eggs in the salad lukewarm;
- Boil the asparagus for this salad until al dente, so they are deliciously crispy in the salad.

Monteberg pinot gris – Heuvelland – Belgium

This very fresh, slightly aromatic wine from Belgian soil goes very well with this dish. Its lightness and crunchy, juicy acidity make the combination beautiful with the bitterness of the asparagus and the salty accent of the cooked ham. In terms of aroma, this pinot gris gives a lush bouquet, even slightly floral and tropical that goes well with the fat of the - still running - egg yolk.

Stift Göttweig riesling Furth – Kremstal – Austria

My other suggestion with the asparagus salad is a top-notch riesling from Kremstal in Austria. Stift Göttweig is one of the oldest wine estates in Austria on 'der Schönen Blauen Donau'! Riesling Furth is the domain's 'village' wine and shows itself in all elegance and freshness. Lush on the nose with some dried citrus peel, wild flowers and wet stones, it shows itself very complex with ripe stone fruits after getting some oxygen. In the mouth this riesling is very tight, fresh acidity and yet a moderate body that will do wonderfully against this fresh salad and the salty-fat accent of the ham and egg yolk.

Serving suggestion: Serve this wine from a carafe, especially in its youth, this wine has so much to offer and doesn't always show it immediately. A little oxygen can do wonders!

The classic of the classics – asparagus à la Flamande

Never change a winning horse… a delicious combination with the fresh-bitter of the asparagus versus the savory-fat of the best farm butter and eggs.

Korta Katarina posip – Peljesac (Dalmatian Coast) – Croatia

Asparagus à la Flamande is in itself a solid and concentrated preparation, apart from the fresh bitterness of the asparagus, it is a dish with power and complexity. The butter and eggs make it rich and bold, the white pepper and nutmeg provide complexity and length on the palate. Compared to this dish, I think this wine is a real discovery, on one of the islands off the Dalmatian Coast is the domain Korta Katarina on the island of Peljesac. Posip is their white wine, which tastes remarkably elegant for such a warm climate zone. In the nose you are spoiled with ripe stone fruits and fresh walnut, wood aging is not involved here. In the mouth, the wine starts very fresh and tight in acidity, but then very mouth-filling, rich and long in the aftertaste. A small and pleasant bitterness makes the nod to the asparagus while the complexity lingers for a long time and manages to tame the rich 'Flamande' with the eggs and butter. Enjoy this wine in a wide wine glass!

Good to know: 'posip' is the local name for the grape we know in Hungary as 'furmint'.

Raymond Usseglio 'Les Claux' – Côtes du Rhône Blanc – France

As a more classic counterpart to 'asparagus à la Flamande', I travel to the Rhône valley in southern France. We are at the historical and also biodynamic domain 'Raymond Usseglio'. The white cuvée 'Les Claux' is a typical white blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Roussanne. On the nose this wine shows ripe white peach and fresh blossoms, even a discreet nutmeg accent makes the link in the nose with the nutmeg in my favorite asparagus dish. In the mouth, this wine is mouth-filling, warm, soft and very intense, which proudly counters the rich sauce with eggs and butter. Although it is surprising how this wine, with its fine acidity, finishes everything in elegance and freshness and winks at the purity of the asparagus. Serve this wine at 10°C and let it warm up a bit in the glass during the meal to release all the fine aromas. SANTE!

Baked asparagus with rye wing and beurre noisette

I think rye wing is a delicious fish and ideal if you don't like to find bones in the fish. You can't help but score this fish, together with the rich 'beurre noisette', the asparagus and a delicious glass of wine! With this style of cuisine I go for two powerful and rich white wines with wood age, these wines taste intense and are very complex to support this powerful preparation.

Serving tip: Pour these wines from a carafe to give some extra oxygen, so the wine has the chance to show what it has to offer. White wines are still too little decanted, while there are a lot of wines that really benefit from it.

Domaine Pavelot chardonnay – Pernand-Vergelesses – France

As a classic I go enthusiastically for a white Burgundy from the Pavelot family. Today Luc & Lise are at the helm of the domain, but they inherited the experience from their ancestors. For more than 900 years, the Pavelot family has been a fixture in the winegrowing of Pernand-Vergelesses, today the domain is certified organic and makes particularly balanced wines. This Pernand-Vergelesses shows itself particularly discreet and elegant, no 'overpowering' due to too strong wood aging or battonnage and this makes it extremely suitable for this preparation with rye wing and asparagus.

Carinus chenin blanc – Swartland – South Africa

As a counterpart to the white Burgundy, I propose a particularly fine chenin blanc, made by the talented Lukas van Loggerenberg in the arid region of Swartland.

A thoroughly chenin with a Burgundian character and fine wood aging. The crispy and fresh acids provide elegance and balance and invite you to quickly refill the glass. Pour this wine into a wide wine glass.