Silvaner and asparagus is a match made in heaven

One of the joys of German spring is the appearance of locally produced fresh vegetables, and there’s one in particular that pulls a lot of heartstrings. Asparagus, specifically white asparagus, is considered the King of German vegetables. Once reserved for the tables of royalty, it’s now a seasonal splurge enjoyed by the masses.

To everything, there is a season, and “Spargelzeit,” or asparagus time, is defined by both nature and tradition. The season starts when the first spears poke their tips above the soil, usually in mid-to late-April, and ends on June 24. This date is celebrated as the nativity of St. John the Baptist or “Johannistag” in German. Between these two bookends, the public seems bent on consuming as much asparagus as it can swallow. The pricey pale vegetable crops up on restaurant menus, supermarket shelves and countless roadside stands.

It would be logical to assume that the king of German vegetables would traditionally be served alongside the king of German grapes. But the crisp, white Rieslings for which the country is so famous are not necessarily the most harmonious of pairings. Asparagus’s associate is oftentimes a type of wine known as silvaner.

Silvaner wines are a white variety with deep roots in the country. According to the German Wine Institute, from its debut in Germany in the second half of the 17th century through the mid-1960s, Silvaner was one if not the most widely planted type of grape. At its peak, Silvaner was cultivated in about half of Germany’s total acreage of vineyards. Silvaner has since been overtaken by other varieties, and nowadays, it’s the country’s fifth-most produced grape, behind Riesling, Müller-Thurgau (also known as Rivaner), Spätburgunder (also known as Pinot Noir) and Dornfelder.

Two of Germany’s wine-growing regions produce the majority of Silvaner: Rheinhessen, an area roughly within the triangle formed by Bingen, Mainz and Worms in the northeast of the Rhineland-Palatinate, and Franken, the area between Bamberg and Aschaffenburg in northern Bavaria. A handful of vineyards in the Nahe, Pfalz and Baden wine regions cultivate Silvaner as well.

Silvaner is described as by connoisseurs as a particularly food-friendly type of wine. With its neutral taste and lack of a typical bouquet, the grape variety is considered ideal at reflecting the characteristics of the soil in which it is grown. Their agreeable but not overwhelming acidity makes them the accompaniment of choice to a variety of light summer dishes. Pairing the delicate white asparagus with wines with a pronounced acidity (Riesling, we’re looking at you) can result in unpleasant bitter or metallic tastes. Other ideal pairings for Silvaner include salads dressed with a mild vinaigrette, mild Thai curries or shellfish in a light cream sauce.

In times when travel is on the table, fans of Germany’s white gold have a few means in which to go full-on asparagus immersion. The Spargelstrasse NRW is a themed autoroute leading past 140 asparagus growers in North Rhine-Westphalia.  The Tour de Spargel is a 67-mile long circular bike trail passing through Schwetzingen and Bruchsal in Baden-Württemberg. The Spargelwanderung is an annual hike at the end of April that winds through the asparagus fields between the towns of Bürstadt and Lampertheim, just north of Mannheim (cancelled in 2021). And if you ever had any doubt as to whether there really is a museum for everything in Germany, look no further than the Europäisches Spargelmuseum in Schrobenhausen, where you can learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the history and cultivation of Germany’s vaunted veg. 

Curious about Silvaner? This pdf brochure courtesy of the German Wine Institute tells all you should know before your first sip.