Meeting Basaline Granger of Vignobles Despagne

Earlier this year we spent an evening with Basaline Granger and her family, including her winemaker brother Thibault. Basaline and Thibault together run Les Vignobles Despagne, an exceptional vineyard in the Bordeaux Oxygène, a collective of the new generation of Bordeaux winemakers, Basaline is a keen cook! She loves to cook for her children, friends and extended family and we were priviledged to spend an evening around their country kitchen table enjoying a meal cooked with passion, love and consideration for the beautiful wines of Vignobles Despagne.

Basaline’s food-focused lifestyle perfectly demonstrates the best of Bordeaux’s food and wine matching culture, as she gathers the freshest seasonal produce from the weekly markets in the towns closest to the Despagne vineyards in the Entre-Deux-Mers. Basaline’s young children (Martin & Louis) are encouraged to get involved in the preparation and cooking too, learning the family values of cooking from scratch, sharing with family and friends – and the lucky Bordeaux Wines team who were privy to a Spring dinner!

As with all Bordeaux wines, Vignobles Despagne focus on producing food-friendly wines. The diversity of style and colour means there’s something to match dishes throughout the year, allowing Basaline’s love of cooking seasonally to showcase their wines’ food pairing potential. She loves cooking with the freshest ingredients available so this means not planning meals in advance, but being flexible and inventive with what the markets have to offer each day.

If you’re in the Entre-Deux-Mers do get in touch with Basaline and Thibault and discover their beautiful, food-friendly wines for yourself!

Vignobles Despagne, 33420 Naujan & Postiac, +33 5 57 84 55 08

The view from Basaline’s drive looking out over the valley 

An aperitif of dry white wine from Château Mirambeau

Beautiful canapés of quails eggs on toast, served with a young, dry, crisp white wine – Biface Despagne

A simple yet elegant dish of local white asparagus

Basaline with son Martin panfrying the scallops

Plump scallops lightly pan-fried

Melt in the mouth seabass fillets basted in butter

Dry, fruity, white wine went perfectly with creamy cheeses from the market