Asparagus-Leek Velouté + Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020 #WorldWineTravel

Lynn of Savor the Harvest is hosting the World Wine Travel bloggers this month. We are headed to South Australia and focusing on the white wines of the region. Read her invitation here.

If you are reading this early enough, feel free to join in our Twitter chat on Saturday, March 26th at 8am Pacific. Follow the hashtag #WorldWineTravel and be sure to add it to anything you tweet so we can see it. Here's the line-up of the articles by the writers...

• Crushed Grape Chronicles (Robin) discusses “Jim Barry Wines – 3 Generations making Clare Valley Riesling”
• A Day In The Life On The Farm (Wendy) pairs “South Australian Chardonnay with Pesto Bruschetta Chicken”
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla (Camilla) shares “Asparagus-Leek Velouté + Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020”
• Enofylz Wine Blog (Martin) digs into “Pewsey Vale – Eden Valley’s Original Riesling Monopole”
• AdVINEtures (Chris & Allison) is exploring “South Australia Riesling”
• MyFull Wine Glass (Linda) discusses “Eden Valley Dry Riesling? Cool!”
• Wine Predator ….. Gwendolyn Alley shares “Eight at the Gate: Sustainable Chardonnay In Wrattonbully, South Australia”
• Savor the Harvest (Lynn) discusses “Paxton Wines – Biodynamic Pioneer in South Australia”
• Food Wine Click! (Jeff) shares Eden Valley Shines Among South Australia Whites
• Our Good Life (Terri) tells us about Tait Family Wines and a Family Tradition Meal

Naturalis Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Naturalis is a leading producer of organic wines in Australia by the Angove family. They are committed to sustainability all the way from the vineyards to the bottle. This wine pours a bright, clear straw color with a green rim. On the nose it has aromas of the tropics with ripe lychee and passionfruit. There are also scents of crisp green apple and heady citrus blossoms. The palate has more white flowers than the nose hints at. But it was the lemon blossoms that inspired this pairing.

I brought the wine to an outdoor event at a lemon farm with two of my best friends. We were treated to a lemon-kissed luncheon and I was inspired to make my own version of the asparagus soup to finish off the bottle of wine.

Asparagus-Leek Velouté

In classical French cuisine, velouté is technically a sauce made by thickening stock with a roux. Imagine béchamel, but with stock instead of milk. I am using it to describe a velvety, satiny soup made with asparagus and leeks.

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2" lengths
• Small handful minced fresh watercress leaves + more for garnish
• 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• organic lemon slices for garnish
• freshly ground salt, as needed
• freshly ground pepper, as needed

Procedure

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add leeks and fennel. Cook until softened but not browned, approximately 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer.

Add in asparagus and watercress. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.

Blend soup in batches, in a food processor or a blender, until it's the consistency that you like. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper and serve, garnishing with watercress leaves and lemon slices. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap on the March #WorldWineTravel event. Next month we'll be back looking at red wines from Victoria with Jeff of Food Wine Click! leading the discussion. Stay tuned.