The most German thing about enjoying wine is the food pairing of wine and asparagus. They literally go crazy for this vegetable. A couple of years back, they even changed the immigration laws for labor for harvesting the white spears during the pandemic. Wine retailers and specialized E-Commerce even offer luxury asparagus with their wines.

And to take it to the next level, the wine-city of Koblenz is home to the asparagus museum, where visitors can learn about its history, how it was enjoyed in the royal families in medieval times, up to different types. Here comes the kicker: “Asparagus and Terroir”, as apparently, it also has the same complexity as wine, which could explain the local craziness about it. Some even have special pots to cook their asparagus.

There are multiple types of asparagus. People go crazy for white asparagus during the summer time. (PhotoSG/stock.adobe.com)

The annual asparagus season is quite short and begins in the second half of April and concludes traditionally on the “Johannistag” on June 24th. After the insane asparagus season, they switch to chanterelles-based dishes, which require other wines.

To make it even more accessible to wine lovers, they started pairing the local variety Silvaner with it. Today, however, there are more ways to enjoy asparagus. We will consider the following wine options below for pairing with the following dishes.

Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

This is a timeless and elegant dish. Asparagus is simply steamed or roasted until tender, then drizzled with a rich and creamy hollandaise sauce. The simplicity of the asparagus allows the hollandaise to shine, making it a perfect side dish or light lunch.

Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese

This is a super easy and flavorful way to enjoy asparagus. The spears are tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then roasted in the oven until tender-crisp. Just before serving, they are sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for a salty and nutty finish.

Asparagus & Schnitzel

Schnitzel and asparagus are a classic combination that offers a delightful contrast in textures and flavors.  The crispy breading of the schnitzel provides a satisfying crunch, while the asparagus offers a refreshing snap. To freshen things up, you can add a little bit of lemon to the butter sauce, which complements the schnitzel without being too heavy.

Green Spears & Fish

The popular German vegetable also goes well with fish. Try a pan-seared cod filet on a creamy cauliflower puree, flanked by asparagus spears, mussels, and bathed in a savory clam-wine sauce.

You can match asparagus anything. There are no limits. (Photo: Generative AI/stock.adobe.com)

Selecting the Wines

Silvaner

Since we have now established the foundation of what we are serving, we can tailor the wines accordingly. The following wines are classics in German cuisine.

Firstly, we will start with a Silvaner. This grape-neutral grape variety offers a crisp and refreshing acidity, along with restrained notes of citrus, hints of lemon, and some earthiness. The combination allows it to balance well with the hollandaise sauce.

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Riesling

The rising star of Germany, which can be found in many facets, styles, and quality levels. This grape variety offers a high crisp or high searing acidity, depending on the region, which is required to balance the butter sauce or hollandaise. Furthermore, its peachy and mineral fruit sensation goes really well with the earthiness of the terroir-driven asparagus.

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Other wine styles

The German wine culture offers various wine regions and grape varieties. Most notably, Pinot Blanc could also be a food-friendly option. Locally, they are labeled as Weissburgunder.

However, red wines, such as Pinot Noir or Dornfelder, do not match as well due to the intense nature of the sauce. We recommend white wine.

You will find wines from the Rhine River, over to the east in Saale Unstrut, or from the Mosel, which connects the Saar and Ruwer, and is home to one of the largest producers in Germany. Its versatile regions in Germany, not only along the river valley, will enhance the season of asparagus to your culinary delight. A culture that we could implement in the United States, and their wine growing regions could learn from.

Next time you have visitors coming for dinner, why not treat them to German-style cuisine? Explain the hype, enjoy the wines - it surely is a great combination that surprises many trained palates.

Peter Douglas