The Garonne and the Dordogne

Sunday Afternoon: We journied by coach to a Chateau winery in the Sauternes region to view the growing of the famous grapes and infestation, by the fungus, Botrytis cinerea (the "noble rot") of the grapes in the area.

This fungus gives the grapes their unique taste. Botrytis changes the grape's composition, decreasing acidity and increasing sugar levels, resulting in shriveled raisin-like clusters. An average botrytis-infected vine will yield only a single glass of wine, very sweet and high in alcohol content. Sauternes, as I am told by my son, Brian, are some of the highest priced wines within the wine kingdom.

We visited the Chateau Myrat for our tour, a very rustic vineyard, where, before we were allowed into the winery buildings, we had to visit the farmer's geese and peacock collection. The aggressive goose gave me quite a painful nip in the leg - just to show who was boss of the tour. And, yes, that is the farmer in his old clothes, ready to show us around.

I had hoped that we would be touring the Chateau Giraud further down the region but Myrat was a good choice nonetheless. The farmer is actually a Count, but he has fore-sworn the trappings of his station for the life of a vintner.