Spring Tension
Asparagus, lagoon squid and Malvasia di Candia Aromatica
Spring has never really been my season. There is something in this shift toward light and warmth that unsettles me. The days grow longer, everything opens up, exposes itself, and I struggle to follow that rhythm. It feels more natural for me to observe rather than take part. And so, while I wait for autumn to return, which feels closer and more intimate to me, I take refuge in what spring truly brings, the ingredients.
In the lagoon this is a very precise moment of change. The market shifts almost without noticing. The fish become more subtle, more delicate. Then asparagus arrives, the ones from the lagoon of Cavallino, with that very recognizable way of sitting on the plate. They grow in sandy soil, crossed by brackish water, and you can taste it. They carry a clear green note, slightly bitter, that does not soften easily.
I always begin from this spring tension.
The dish starts with an asparagus cream, almost like a mousse, accompanied by the whole tips, because I want to preserve that verticality, that living gesture of the vegetable. Then come the baby squid. The small ones in April are extraordinary. They have an extremely delicate texture and a flavor that sits between sweetness and the sea, never overwhelming. If you overcook them they close up, if you respect them they remain tender, just slightly elastic, with that clarity that belongs only to very fresh fish. They are a quiet presence, but essential in the dish. I add a fresh salad and a good extra virgin olive oil, and the dish is complete, fragrant, delicate, but with its own verticality of flavors.
The wine, in fact, comes first. My pairings always start there, and the dish is built around it, to accompany and enhance its expression.
Malvasia di Candia Aromatica is one of the most interesting varieties within the wider Malvasia family, a constellation of grapes that crosses the Mediterranean and that Venice helped spread over the centuries. This one finds one of its most recognizable expressions in the hills of Piacenza, between Val Trebbia and Val Nure, where soil and air shape wines of strong identity. In the glass it has something immediately readable, a clear and elegant aromatic profile with notes of citrus, citron, lime, delicate white fruit and a subtle floral trace, together with a slightly balsamic nuance that lingers in the finish. It is not an exuberant aromatic expression, but a refined one, typical of the grape.
La Malvagia.
Is a wine that expresses itself with great clarity and elegance. It does not cover the bitterness of the asparagus, but accompanies it, extending it and making it cleaner through its aromatic precision. With the baby squid, it finds an immediate balance between sweetness, softness of texture and a light salinity.
This 2024 Malvasia comes from the Colli Piacentini, in a soft and ventilated landscape of hills that look toward the plain and breathe the currents of the Apennines. It is a territory that preserves a concrete agricultural vocation, where viticulture still has a measured dimension, never forced. The soils, rich in clay and limestone, give wines that are precise, with a freshness that is never aggressive, always composed. The winery Il Poggiarello works in this direction with a very clear sensitivity, with great attention and respect in the vineyard. Here Malvasia is never excessive or pushed on aromatic intensity, but remains subtle, readable, elegant. There is a search for balance that you perceive immediately, without the need to declare it.
It is a pairing that works without forcing anything and, in the end, leaves a very clear sensation. The asparagus cream is soft, enveloping, with that slightly bitter note that lingers in the background. The baby squid are tender, delicate, bringing a freshness of the sea that cleans the palate. The wine holds everything together without ever dominating, leaving a subtle aromatic trace.
It is a simple dish, but wonderfully precise in its balance.
Try this pairing with an aromatic Malvasia and let the palate respond.
In tasting:
La Malvagia — Malvasia di Candia Aromatica, 2024
Il Poggiarello (Piacenza)
Emilia IGT, 13.5% vol.
Laura Riolfatto
Wine storyteller & sommelier
🔗 laurariolfatto.com
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