04/19/07 Asparagus

Welcome to Vine to Wine, this is your host Linda Moran. 'Tis the season for fresh asparagus and don't ever let anyone tell you wine doesn't work with this fabulous early Spring vegetable. Today is food and wine pairing day and you guessed it we are talking asparagus and the wines that go with it. When the first asparagus was available I grabbed my file of recipes and began looking for some of my favorites. Of course, soup was high on my list and I made a simple rather light soup. In an effort to really taste the freshness, I use less cream than most. Two wines really jumped out as pairing well with the soup one was an Italian Verdicchio and the second was a Brut sparkling wine. With my next batch of asparagus I made a soufflé with cheese and asparagus and served it with braised chicken breasts. The sparkling wine was again a nice accompaniment but in addition we had a Viognier which and a Rose' of Cab Franc which both did very well with the dinner. But when you get right down to it those great big asparagus beg to be grilled and the slight charring creates a fabulous vegetable beside most any meat or fish. With fish I grab a bottle of Pinot Noir with meat a nice Merlot is my selection. Marinating asparagus for a salad is wonderful, and the wine choice will be dictated, more than anything else, by the marinade. By all means, enjoy the season for asparagus and of course drink wine with it! Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at Vine to Wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.