Alexandra Cousteau on Wine, the Ocean, and Why Our Food Choices Matter

Gérard Bertrand’s La Grande Bleue pairs beautifully with seafood—and with a compelling argument that sustainable wine and conscious eating can help restore abundance to our oceans.

This wasn’t your typical wine dinner. There was no winemaker presenting the latest vintage, for example. There was only one wine, paired with four courses of seafood at The Oceanaire Seafood Room in downtown Washington, D.C. The audience was a small hodgepodge of writers, influencers, content creators, wine retailers and forlorn environmental lobbyists.

And there was Alexandra Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and a filmmaker and environmental advocate in her own right. To be honest, Cousteau was the draw for me to this event, rather than the wine. I was curious not just to have a brush with celebrity but to learn about the connection between the wine and Cousteau’s work in ocean conservation.

The wine was La Grande Bleue by Gérard Bertrand, an IGP Mediterranée white blend of Rolle (Vermentino), Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It was delicious, with firm acidity and a whiff of jasmine and orange blossom over a core of salinity that suggests the Mediterranean to a thirsty writer with wanderlust. It was a perfect remedy to Washington’s early summer heat and a versatile partner to the excellent menu prepared by the chefs at The Oceanaire, which included a variety of sustainably sourced seafood accented with French, Latin and Asian flavors, thoughtfully notated with the name of the boat and its captain that harvested each fish.

Left and right photos by Damon Bowe. Photo of Alexandra Cousteau from Oceana.org.

Bertrand is a major force in southern France, with 16 estates. He’s a leading advocate of organic and biodynamic viticulture, so his environmental cred is real. He launched La Grande Bleue last year in partnership with Oceana, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit champion of ocean conservation. The wine is now available in 49 countries, and reasonably priced at $20 SRP in the United States with its profits supporting Oceana’s work. The Bertrand-Oceana partnership has promoted awareness of sustainable fishing practices in several countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands.

“The Mediterranean is a life-giving sea, a source of inspiration and a precious heritage,” Bertrand, who was not at the dinner, said in a statement. “As winegrowers, we understand that everything is interconnected: soil health, biodiversity, climate and the oceans. This is why, just as we do across our biodynamically farmed estates, we view our commitment alongside Oceana as a long-term endeavor. We will continue supporting their actions and raising awareness among our partners and consumers about the importance of protecting this shared resource: the sea.”

Cousteau, a senior advisor to Oceana, spoke briefly about her illustrious grandfather and how he invented scuba diving and underwater cinematography to tell the story of life in the oceans, a life that she said is increasingly endangered by pollution (largely plastics) and overfishing.

“The ocean triggers something in us that is eternal and universal, and as we witness the demise of almost 50 percent of life in the ocean, it’s important that we shift away from a conservation mindset,” Cousteau said. “When you’ve lost almost half of something, it’s not enough to protect what you have left. Restoration of abundance is the ambition we must rise to.”

This struck me for two reasons. It echoed arguments for regenerative farming and viticulture, the idea that we should not simply be trying to lessen our impact on the environment, but actively taking steps to rejuvenate the health and vitality of the soil, air and water we depend on.

And yet, Cousteau’s message seems so out of touch with the current zeitgeist in this country. Washington was preparing for the annual July 4th festivities, all the more meaningful this year with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The government that’s hosting these celebrations views the environment not as a treasure to be nurtured and regenerated, but as a resource to be plundered as rapidly as possible for comfort and wealth.

There’s nothing I or anyone else can do to change this outlook except to speak up and to vote, of course. But we can also make individual choices in our daily lives that reflect our personal values, quiet statements that, little by little, can make a difference. So I asked Cousteau why, in the face of government indifference and hostility, should individual consumers favor wines that carry environmental certifications or foods that tell us who raised the pigs or caught the fish.

“Where your food comes from, how you nourish your body has a direct impact on the abundance of life on our planet,” she said. “Nourishing our bodies also nourishes our spirit. That’s what’s so beautiful about wine and food, the act of coming together and communion, knowing that taking care of the Earth and the ocean is also taking care of ourselves and the people that provide us the food.

“I just think as a society it’s a direction we need to move in. Breaking bread, sharing wine in religion or the culinary arts used to be loaded with meaning and celebration,” Cousteau said. “Maybe we’ll start to value them more and do things that can bring them back, because it’s not too late.”