Castelbello Asparagus Weeks

Mid-April to the end of May is the best time to enjoy delicious asparagus dishes and excellent asparagus wine in the Val Venosta. This is when the Castelbello Asparagus Weeks, called Kastelbeller Spargelwochen, take place. Alongside Terlano, where the famous "Margarethe" asparagus is grown and harvested, and the area around Nalles, Castelbello-Ciardes to the north-west is also one of the cultivation areas for this vegetable.

The beginnings of asparagus cultivation in Castelbello date back to 1988. At the "Köfelgut", a winery with a distillery in Castelbello, the "royal vegetable" was grown in the Val Venosta for the first time using new varieties and cultivation techniques. The winery still provides tours exploring the culinary delights of the asparagus season and opens the season in Castelbello. The cultivation area for Castelbello asparagus has now reached around three hectares.

The event also includes the "Blossom Brunch" with a concert by the local band and the garden and gourmet market in the village. Several sales points supply the restaurants in Castelbello today - if possible, on the day of the harvest itself. There, the asparagus is not only served in a wide variety of ways but is also refined with an asparagus wine. Four wineries supply the wine for this: the dry white "Asparagus" wine. It is the perfect accompaniment to fresh asparagus, served with potatoes, the new Castelbello asparagus sauce (Kastelbeller Spargelsauce) and ham.

This Castelbello asparagus sauce was created in collaboration with the "Marie Curie" Institute for Tourism and Biotechnology and the Restaurant Kuppelrain. The creamy sauce, which highlights the asparagus's own flavour, is a variation of the classic Bolzano sauce.