Green, white or gold? What wine to pair with asparagus.

A common complaint from guests on wine tours is you just don’t get enough vegetables in French restaurants. I disagree, the French eat seasonal and local, visit Bordeaux in spring and every restaurant will be serving you asparagus.

Spring to it

Asparagus is the perfect spring food, fibrous so great for our gut bacteria and slightly bitter so perfect for stimulating the appetite. It also contains vitamins and glutathione – a great detoxer and they are diuretic, perfect for a spring detox after too many Easter chocolates.

Keeping it simple, white asparagus with a mousseline sauce

Blaye, a medieval citadel (fortified town) on the banks of the Gironde Estuary is famous for both its Bordeaux Côtes de Blaye wines and its asparagus. Each April, Blaye holds a spring festival, lots of wines and lots of asparagus to taste. Thirty asparagus producers covering 200 ha grouped together to create an association that has obtained a IGP ( Indication Geographic Protégé) for their product – similar to an AOP for wine. They even have their own website and their very own festival a few weeks later.

The Blaye asparagus are white or violet, a little different to the green ones you may be used to. They tend to be fat and juicy, they remain white as they are grown covered in soil – as soon as they are uncovered they become darker in colour. There’s even a ‘confrerie’ where members don violet cloaks and encourage people to eat more asparagus.

You must be in Bordeaux if they serve duck with your asparagus

What to drink with asparagus?

It pairs brilliantly with a fresh dry white, think Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon driven blends but it really depends on how you serve it. In Bordeaux traditional preparations include chopped eggs, chives and vinaigrette, often with capers or goats cheese or a more sinful hollandaise sauce which the French lighten and call mousseline – still deliciously indulgent. They sometimes add smoked bacon or cured duck, in which case a lighter red works. Asparagus also accompanies a main dish, think poached salmon, in which case a barrel aged white or a lighter red would work perfectly.

With spicy prawns – inspiration from Rouge at les Sources de Caudalie

White and gold

I make no secret of my love of Sauternes, Sauternes and asparagus? I’m not alone in thinking they work together.

Gold and white, Sauternes and white asparagus

A Medieval military fortress in the 14th century, Château de Fargues has been in the Lur Saluces family since the 1400s. In the shadow of the neighbouring family property Yquem, production concentrated on red wine and milk until the 1920s when Bertrand de Lur Saluces pulled up the red grapes and turned his attention to Sauternes.

The Domaine d’Uza, near Bayonne, has also been in the family since the 1400s. No wine here but a leading asparagus producer, specialised in organic white Landes asparagus.

Perfectly suited to the region’s sandy soils, the reputation of their asparagus is almost as famous as their wine and found in top restaurants throughout France. As for Sauternes grapes, the asparagus is carefully hand-picked and selected before rinsing and packing.

Asparagus Grand Cru

If you need some inspiration, visit the website of Château de Fargues, they have recipes from leading chefs for asparagus and so much more to pair with Sauternes.

Bon Appetit.

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To learn more about Bordeaux, you can find Bordeaux Bootcamp here and to cultivate a healthy passion for wine, watch the free Daily Detox webinar here, buy your copy of The Drinking Woman’s Diet or discover the new online 7 days to a Liver friendly Lifestyle here it’s spring , the perfect time for a detox!