Graeme Stewart, wine writer and co-founder of TyneTipples, is showing you how to pair asparagus with French wine…
Every spring/summer season there’s a short window when asparagus suddenly becomes the star of the show.
For a few weeks, farm shops pile it high by the entrance, restaurant specials become suspiciously green and people who spent winter surviving on beige food start talking enthusiastically about seasonal produce.
Then, almost as quickly as it arrived, it disappears again.
The life of Asparagus
Producers across the country spend years establishing asparagus beds before the first proper harvest arrives, only for the season itself to last a matter of weeks. In places like Hampshire, growers such as the New Forest Fruit Company have built a reputation around producing some of Britain’s earliest asparagus, helped by the milder climate of the south coast. They now supply produce to supermarkets, restaurants and retailers across the UK.
It’s a reminder that some of the best British produce isn’t available all year round. And perhaps that’s why asparagus feels a little special when it arrives. The challenge comes when you try to pair it with wine – ask any sommelier!
How to pair asparagus with French wine
Asparagus has long had a reputation as one of the trickiest foods to match. Too green for some wines, too earthy for others. Naturally, I decided to test myself and open a few bottles to see if I could find the perfect pairing – fail and at least I’d have plenty wine to drink!
The recipe was simple. British asparagus roasted with olive oil, sea salt and lemon. Nothing fancy. The sort of dish that looks impressive enough for guests while requiring almost no culinary skill whatsoever.
Asparagus & the Calvet Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2024
The first bottle opened was the Calvet Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2024.
Fresh, citrus-led and packed with the sort of brightness that immediately worked with the lemon. If asparagus has a comfort blanket in the wine world, Sauvignon Blanc is probably it.
Asparagus & the Calvet Pinot Blanc
The Calvet Pinot Blanc from Alsace took things in a softer direction. Slightly rounder and more relaxed, it felt less about freshness and more about balance. The sort of wine that would happily sit alongside grilled chicken, fish or a long lunch in the garden.
Asparagus & Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc
Then came the two Bordeaux Sauv Blancs.
The Calvet Reserve Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc 2024 brought a little more weight, particularly on the asparagus that picked up some char from roasting. Meanwhile the Calvet Prestige Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc 2023 added a subtle smoky character that somehow made a tray of asparagus feel considerably more sophisticated than it had any right to.
What struck me most wasn’t necessarily which wine won. It was how well all four worked with something so often described as difficult to pair.
Perhaps asparagus isn’t actually the problem – perhaps we simply overcomplicate it.
A tray of British asparagus, a squeeze of lemon and a decent bottle of wine. That’s not a pairing challenge – that’s a very good way to spend a spring evening.