WHAT TO DRINK
Susy Atkins picks her favourite bottles for May, plus sublime pairings for asparagus
drinks.
WHAT GOES WITH… ASPARAGUS?
ILLUSTRATION: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
Most locally grown asparagus is with us for just a few fleeting weeks of early summer and it’s even more of a treat served with the right wine. The wrong choice can be horrid. Don’t even think about red wine as it can create a nasty metallic clash. Dry rosés work better, but for the best match choose a dry, unoaked white – and, ideally, make it sauvignon blanc: the mix of crisp citrus fruit and a slightly grassy note is perfect. Choose a bone-dry, lighter French style such as the Loire’s sancerre or pouilly-fumé for plain green asparagus with simple lemon juice and butter. But switch to a riper, gooseberry-rich New Zealand sauv blanc if you’re serving asparagus with hollandaise sauce, parmesan shavings or vinaigrette – you’ll need the extra-rich flavour. Other whites that can spear it include Spain’s verdejo (or blends of verdejo with sauvignon blanc), Alsace pinot blanc, English bacchus and southern French picpoul de pinet. And if you’re after a softie, make it good old lemon squash, not too strong or sweet. Or try these: