Asparagus and Rondo (English red)

A wine-loving friend and I weren’t sure what to order the other night at Native in Southwark. The menu was suitably springlike but having had a glass of white beforehand (at the excellent Bar Douro) we fancied a red

Scrolling down the list we spotted a bottle of Three Choirs 2017 Ravens Hill, a blend of Rondo, Regent and other red grape varieties from Gloucestershire. It was light (11.5%), crunchy and delicious - quite similar in style to a Loire red.

We asked for it to be chilled and it sailed through the meal, particularly with the dishes that contained asparagus and alexander, a crunchy, herby, slightly bitter plant, also called horse parsley. The wine didn’t overwhelm the delicate crab they served with it either and also went well with my slightly sweet main course of pork with apple béarnaise and root vegetables

I haven’t taken Three Choirs who have been on the English wine scene for a good while, particularly seriously in the past but they do an attractive and reasonably priced own label English white for the Wine Society for £8.25. The Ravens Hill is £13.99 from the Oxford Wine Company.

For other asparagus pairings see Top Wine Pairings with Asparagus