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PGI — Aquitaine
White asparagus with purple tips, cultivated since the 15th century on the black sands of Gironde — fine, fibre-free flesh, delicate flavour, harvested from late February to May.
Vegetable from Aquitaine, PGI (IGP) since 2015.
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Asparagus cultivation in the Blayais dates back to the 15th century, when it served as a modest supplement to resources drawn from more intensive crops. Local legend attributes the introduction of this vegetable to the court of Louis XIV to Sébastien Le Prestre, marquis de Vauban — the military engineer who built the citadel of Blaye. True or not, this anecdote reflects the early prestige enjoyed by Blayais asparagus in aristocratic circles.
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The secret of Asperges du Blayais lies in a distinctive soil: the Périgord sands that border the Gironde estuary, recognisable by their black colour, a sign of their great wealth of organic matter. The PGI specifications indeed require an average sand content of over 75% on designated plots — very fine sands that warm up quickly, encouraging earliness and rapid spear growth, which ensures tenderness. Combined with a mild climate tempered by the proximity of the ocean and the estuary, this terroir provides natural drainage that contributes to the rapid, continuous growth of the asparagus. The PGI area covers around fifty communes in Gironde and a dozen communes in Charente-Maritime.
Over the course of the 20th century, the asparagus growers of the Blayais organised to defend their production. An initial association, the 'Association des Producteurs d'Asperges de Braud et Saint Louis', was founded in 1986; in May 1995, it opened up to all growers in the Blayais and became the Association des Producteurs d'Asperges du Blayais (APAB), with the objective of establishing quality specifications and a shared logo. The PGI project was revived in 2007 with the support of the Communauté de Communes de l'Estuaire and the Conseil Général de la Gironde; the PGI was officially registered by European Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2266, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8 December 2015. In 2022, the APAB united around thirty growers — 21 independents, 6 cooperative members and 3 undergoing accreditation — over a total area of 220 hectares; the cooperative members are grouped within the Vignerons de Tutiac cooperative.
Appearance
White spear, or white with a pink to violet/purple tip depending on the variety (purple asparagus excluded if there is a green ring), tight tip, well-formed and non-hollow spear, length up to 22 cm, minimum diameter 12 mm.
Aroma
Delicate vegetal scent, slightly sweet, without earthy notes
Taste
Tender and sweet, with a meltingly soft tip and no bitterness; the sector's slogan sums up the promise: 'From tip to heel, it's all good!'
Texture
Melting flesh, barely fibrous spear, very thin skin.
The PGI specifications set out a list of authorised varieties, revised each year by an APAB committee; it includes in particular Grolim, Eposs, Herkolim, Avalim and Vitalim, selected for their flesh quality, the shape of the tip and their yield potential. Harvesting is done by hand, and each spear must reach the regulatory length and size before being cut.
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Asperges du Blayais is best eaten steamed or boiled in salted water, then enjoyed warm or cold with a mousseline sauce, a herb vinaigrette or a drizzle of beurre noisette — regional chefs also showcase it in more creative interpretations, such as this asparagus cappuccino with bone marrow and Ossau-Iraty ewe's milk cheese created by a Bordeaux chef. It pairs particularly well with the dry, fruity and aromatic white wine of the AOC Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux, produced on the same terroir by asparagus growers who are, in most cases, winemakers too.
Since: 2015
Area covered: Around fifty communes in Gironde and a dozen communes in Charente-Maritime
Key requirements: Harvest from 1 February to 30 June; plots with sand content > 75%; varieties approved by the APAB; minimum diameter 12 mm, maximum length 22 cm; chilling < 3 h, cold storage < 10 h
Association
SCEA
GAEC
Co-operative
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Vignerons de Tutiac is a wine-growing co-operative founded in 1975 across both banks of the Gironde estuary, which today brings together around 400 vignerons farming 4,000 hectares of vines, 18 Bordeaux appellations, and a range extending from Blaye to Sauternes via Bourg, Fronsac, the Médoc, and the Graves. Its headquarters are located in La Cafourche, in the commune of Val-de-Livenne, and it is chaired by Stéphane Héraud. The co-operative was built through a succession of mergers of smaller local structures — the caves coopératives of Générac and Anglade, the producers' unions of Périssac and Lugon, and the Coopérative des Châteaux en Bourgeais.
On 11 June 2015, it merged with the Coopérative Fruitière Légumière et Horticole des Hauts de Gironde, until then based in Etauliers — the successor to the former 'Coopérative Légumière, Fruitière et Horticole d'Etauliers', founded in 1973, which at the time brought together a significant proportion of the producers of Asperges du Blayais. This merger broadened Tutiac's corporate purpose to the collection and sale of asparagus, early vegetables, open-field vegetables, greenhouse vegetables, fruit, and flowers, and its Etauliers facility continues to operate a wholesale fruit and vegetable business. It is through this route that the Association des Producteurs d'Asperges du Blayais (APAB) includes, alongside its independent producers, 'co-operators' grouped within Tutiac — six of them in 2022, out of around thirty producers committed to the PGI (IGP) scheme.
| Address | La Cafourche, 491 rue Simone Veil, 33860 Val-de-Livenne, France |
| 05 57 32 48 33 | |
| tutiac.com | |
| Visits | Yes |
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Part of the production is certified organic, since 2009. |
