Whether the spears are thick and served hot with hollandaise or pencil-thin, crunchy and tossed in an Asian-inspired dressing of soy and sesame, asparagus embodies the fresh, green goodness of spring.
It’s tempting to uncork whatever bottle is on hand to toast this most singular vegetable. Trouble is, chemical compounds in asparagus can make wine taste weirdly sweet or metallic.
Asparagus is “like Frankenstein on a plate,” according to Bill St. John, a wine educator with Sam’s Wines & Spirits.
The folks at the California Asparagus Commission, the California Sheep Commission and Clos du Bois winery would disagree strongly with St. John. They’re working together on a new advertising campaign whose working title is “Extraordinary pairings from California.” The pairing, of course, is lamb, asparagus and pinot grigio.
So who is right? Well, actually both sides are. Wine works with asparagus. You just have to choose wisely.
Cherie Watte, executive director of the asparagus commission, in Stockton, Calif., recently served roasted asparagus with a balsamic vinegar reduction with a “big” red California zinfandel and an Italian barbera. At lunch, she’ll serve asparagus with hollandaise and uncork a chardonnay or a pinot grigio.
Watte also likes a milder red like a syrah or a pinot noir if the asparagus is steamed.
Of course, what works is a matter of opinion. St. John won’t hear of a zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc or a big, bold merlot with asparagus.
“Asparagus ruins high-alcohol tannic reds,” he said.
So what to do? Strategize.
“Asparagus is like meat,” said Belinda Chang, sommelier at Osteria Via Stato restaurant in Chicago. “Often with meat or seafood it’s less about the protein and more about the sauce and the presentation. A ragout of asparagus or asparagus served with porcini mushrooms would be red-wine dishes.”
Consider how you are going to cook the asparagus and what you will serve with it. As St. John noted, most Americans don’t serve asparagus as its own course.
Andrea Immer Robinson, the master sommelier and author, uses the ingredients that “go with” asparagus to counter the sweet or metallic flavor notes asparagus can give to wine. In her book, “Everyday Dining with Wine,” she offers a recipe for oven-charred asparagus with cheese and balsamic vinegar to be served with syrah.
“The lemon peel, charred flavors and saltiness of the cheese all tame that tendency and bring a wonderful flavor yin-yang–herbaceous against smoky-rich–that complements those same contrasts in Rhone-style wines,” she writes.
When it comes to asparagus served plain, Immer Robinson likes Italian whites. St. John, too, points to Italian whites, like Frascati or pinot grigio. He also likes very dry sauvignon blancs from France, such as Sancerre or Quincy, or an Alsatian pinot blanc.
“Nothing goes with the grassiness of the asparagus,” he said. “Nothing should go with the grassiness. That’s not the point. Why have the same thing [flavor] in the glass that’s on the plate?”
Chang agrees. She shies away from grassy or green wines in favor of whites that are oaky or creamy, like a white Burgundy.
Henry Bishop III, sommelier at Spiaggia restaurant in Chicago, recently was in Italy, where he enjoyed a seven-course lunch featuring white asparagus in every dish. For him, a cool-climate sauvignon blanc or pinot blanc from Alto Adige, Italy’s Alpine winemaking region, works best. For reds, he also looks to Alto Adige, suggesting wines made from the lagrein grape, known for its soft, juicy qualities.
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Second time is golden
Pairing asparagus and wine can really be a challenge, as the Good Eating tasting panel learned firsthand.
We pulled six white wines from our “cellar” that reflected a variety of styles. They included a Napa chardonnay, Sonoma sauvignon blanc, moschofilero from Greece, Italian Gavi, Australian riesling and pinot gris from Oregon. The asparagus was steamed until tender-crisp and served unadorned save for pats of butter.
What a disaster!
Wines that tasted great on their own just didn’t work with the asparagus. A 2004 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc from California’s Russian River Valley that earned a respectable 7 score (a three-corkscrew rating) on its own dropped to “5.6” (two corkscrews) when paired with the spears. Only one wine, a 2003 Wolf Blass Riesling from Australia, saw its score lift a little when asparagus was introduced. Time to start over.
Inspiration for the second round came from Henry Bishop III, sommelier at Spiaggia, who suggested wines from Italy’s Alto Adige region (for more, see main story). Alto Adige is located so far into the Italian Alps that many of its wine labels are written in German as well as Italian.
For this repeat tasting, we tried four wines from Alto Adige, one from the nearby Friuli-Venezia Giulia area and one from Piedmont in northwestern Italy. All the wines tasted–and scored–better when sampled by themselves than with steamed, buttered asparagus. But none dropped as precipitously as the wines in the first round.
2003 Tiefenbrunner Muller Thurgau Feldmarschall von Fenner
This Alto Adige wine was a solid performer, ranking second on its own and first with asparagus. “The wine still tastes good and so does the veggie,” one taster wrote.
(3 corkscrews) $29
2001 Jermann Capo Martino in Ruttaris
The deep golden color of this Venezia Giulia blend of pinot bianco, pinot grigio and tokay was as vivid as the buttery, rich flavor. The wine’s sweet notes closely matched the asparagus. Top scorer on its own.
(3 corkscrews) $48
2003 Abbazia di Novacella Kerner
The floral, viognier-like nose and the grassy notes of this Alto Adige kerner, a German hybrid grape, worked well with the asparagus. The spears took on a subtly spicy note, one panelist noted.
(3 corkscrews) $17
2001 San Michele Appiano Pinot Bianco Sanct Valentin
The panelists liked the acidity and balance of this Alto Adige pinot bianco. But the wine didn’t do much for the asparagus; it was an acceptable but unremarkable pairing.
(2 corkscrews) $33
2003 Gagliardo Fallegro
Some panelists grooved on the grassy and citrusy notes in this Piedmontese white, but others insisted pairing the wine with asparagus soured the experience.
(2 corkscrews) $15
2003 Alois Lageder Pinot Bianco
Most panelists thought the pairing of this Alto Adige wine with asparagus was boring. But the wine alone was admired for its “smooth, tart, fresh-tasting” profile.
(2 corkscrews) $10
–B.D.
Sources: We found these wines at Sam’s Wines & Spirits, Que Syrah Fine Wines and Kafka Wine Co., Wine Country of Homer Glen. Not every wine may be in stock at your local stores; prices may vary from store to store. Prices are rounded off.
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(4 corkscrews): excellent
(3 corkscrews): very good
(2 corkscrews): good
(1 corkscrew): fair
(no corkscrews: poor)
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wdaley@tribune.com
