A view of the ;festival as we pull away from the river bank.

BORDEAUX, France – A long Friday in wine country ended with a leisurely cruise down the Garone River and back in time to see the light show and fireworks capping each night of the Fete du Vin.

Talking sweet wine with Perromat

Producers of sweet Bordeaux wines joined us on the cruise telling us about their family history, production, and more about this unique product. Many people have heard of Sauternes but there are 11 appelations in Bordeaux, left and right bank, producing sweet wines. The region is about 30 miles south of Bordeaux.

See Friday photo highlights here.

While many people think of the wines as dessert, Guillaume Perromat of Chateau d’Armajan told me he thinks they make a better match with appetizers.

At first I found most of the wines a big sweet for my palate but in the latter pourings, we had 10 wines and a matching small bite to try, the acidity was more prounced and the sweetness of the Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, and Muscadel was more balanced.

Some of the Bordeaux sweet wines make it to the U.S. but not much. Most better wine stores usually have Sauternes. The chef on board our boat paired it with a couple of seafood options and other combinations. While too sweet for my taste, I think sweet Bordeaux would be a big hit with many wine lovers with a palate on the sweeter side.

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