Organised by Wines of Germany, Riesling Weeks is an annual month-long campaign in June to promote German wine, led by its most famous grape, Riesling.
Back for the eighth time, Riesling Weeks is supported by leading hotels with fine-dining facilities. This year, we are delighted to have The Mira, The Murray and The Ritz-Carlton on board for the first time. The superb offers from these newcomers include a four-course German wine-pairing menu at The Murray’s Popinjays and a five-course asparagus menu with Riesling pairing at The Ritz’s Chef’s Table.
White asparagus is a German delicacy grown between mid-April and the end of June. Conrad Hong Kong will be hosting two asparagus wine dinners: a German white asparagus wine dinner at Brasserie on the Eighth on Friday, 5 June and another wine dinner at Golden Leaf on Thursday, 11 June. For more information, please phone 2822 5777.
To whet your appetite, here is a glimpse of just a few of the white asparagus dishes and German wines on offer:
- Brasserie on the Eighth, Conrad Hong Kong: poached white asparagus, Toulouse sausage and Béarnaise sauce, served with Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) or Chardonnay
- Golden Leaf, Conrad Hong Kong: pan-seared Hokaido scallop with white asparagus, morel mushrooms and garlic sauce, served with Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) or Silvaner
- Dynasty, Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel: steamed assorted asparagus in black truffle paste, served with Silvaner or a slightly chilled Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
It’s competition time – cook and win!
The past few months of social distancing have given us the chance to hone our cooking skills. Now, there’s an opportunity for you to show off your new-found talent. Just cook an asparagus dish by following one of these recipes – or create your very own recipe. Post a photo of your creation in the comments on this Facebook post or tag @afoodieworld and @rieslingweekshk on Instagram and tell us which German wine you would pair with your dish.
We will be giving away cash vouchers that can be used at Riesling Weeks participating restaurants in Hong Kong.
One of the asparagus recipes was created by Angelina Vogt, the 71st German Wine Queen from Nahe. She made this video for us:
German wine and food
With its fresh acidity, Riesling is a perfect food companion as its acidity cuts through fat and aids digestion. Lighter-style Riesling is perfect with fresh seafood such as sashimi and steamed prawns, while more intense Riesling is a great companion to more robust dishes such as kung pao chicken, Peking duck and even a juicy steak.
But German wine is more than just Riesling. Its Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) is fast gaining fame. Depending on the winemaker, it can be Burgundian-like or with more depth and structure if aged in new barriques.
Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) are more serious than the majority of these varieties from other countries available on the market.
Silvaner is another important grape variety in Germany. Although it is less aromatic than Riesling, its earthy and white to yellow fruit aromas provide a good background for food without overshadowing the flavours. Silvaner is excellent paired with asparagus.
Over 70 restaurants, wine retailers and online wine clubs in Hong Kong and Macau will be running various German wine promotions in honour of Riesling Weeks. Tantalise your taste buds this June with all the German delicacies on offer. For the most updated list of participants, click here.
The Riesling Weeks annual tasting, where over 150 German wines will be presented, will be the culminating celebration of the event this year, held on Thursday, 2 July. More information will be posted on rieslingweeks.hk, so please stay tuned.
For more wine articles like this, like Foodie on Facebook
