Claret
Encyclopedia
Claret is a name primarily used in British English
for red wine
from the Bordeaux
region of France
.
, a now uncommon dark rosé
and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux
until the 18th century. It is a protected name within the European Union
, describing a red Bordeaux wine
, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the term.
Claret is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic
label for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally of varietal
s authentic to the region. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes.
The colour "claret" resembles the red
hue of Bordeaux wine. It has become a slang
term for blood
, as in "tapping the claret" meaning giving someone a bloody nose.
and much of France
from 1152 to 1453, encouraged wine trade between the regions. This trade relationship was encouraged by both of the kings following the marriage of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. As the taste for clairet developed in England, the word was adopted and gradually anglicised
to "claret".
In the Late Middle Ages
, a claret meant a spiced wine-based drink produced by pouring heated wine, usually a red, over a bag containing a mix of spices. It was similar, and often identical, to hypocras
. Spices that were specific to medieval clarets include anise
, caraway
, cardamom
, cinnamon
and fennel
. The term now more frequently applies to unspiced red Bordeaux wine.
The meaning of "claret" has changed over time to refer to a dry, dark red Bordeaux. It has remained a term associated with the English upper class
, and consequently appears on bottles of generic red Bordeaux in an effort to raise its status in the market.
In November 2011, the president of the Union des Maisons de Négoce de Bordeaux, announced an intention to use the term Claret de Bordeaux for wines that are ‘light and fruity, easy to drink, in the same style as the original claret when it was prized by the English in former centuries’.
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
for red wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
from the Bordeaux
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
region of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Usage
Claret derives from the French clairetClairet
Clairet is a wine that is dark pink in style, and may be described as a full bodied and deep coloured type of rosé. It is considered a specialty of the Bordeaux region and is thought to have originated in Quinsac in Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux...
, a now uncommon dark rosé
Rosé
A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...
and the most common wine exported from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
until the 18th century. It is a protected name within the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, describing a red Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
, accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the term.
Claret is occasionally used in the United States as a semi-generic
Semi-generic
Semi-generic is a legal term used in by the United States Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to refer to a specific type of wine designation. The majority of these were originally based on the names of well-known European wine-producing regions...
label for red wine in the style of the Bordeaux, ideally of varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
s authentic to the region. The French themselves do not use the term, except for export purposes.
The colour "claret" resembles the red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
hue of Bordeaux wine. It has become a slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term for blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
, as in "tapping the claret" meaning giving someone a bloody nose.
History
The standard style of Bordeaux wine has not always been deep red. It used to be closer to a rosé, hence the French clairet, meaning pale. The Plantagenet kingdom, covering EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and much of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1152 to 1453, encouraged wine trade between the regions. This trade relationship was encouraged by both of the kings following the marriage of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. As the taste for clairet developed in England, the word was adopted and gradually anglicised
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
to "claret".
In the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, a claret meant a spiced wine-based drink produced by pouring heated wine, usually a red, over a bag containing a mix of spices. It was similar, and often identical, to hypocras
Hypocras
Hippocras , sometimes spelled hipocras or hypocras, is a drink made from wine mixed with sugar and spices, most notably cinnamon, and possibly heated...
. Spices that were specific to medieval clarets include anise
Anise
Anise , Pimpinella anisum, also called aniseed, is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Its flavor resembles that of liquorice, fennel, and tarragon.- Biology :...
, caraway
Caraway
Caraway also known as meridian fennel, or Persian cumin is a biennial plant in the family Apiaceae, native to western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa....
, cardamom
Cardamom
Cardamom refers to several plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to India and Bhutan; they are recognised by their small seed pod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds...
, cinnamon
Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
and fennel
Fennel
Fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum . It is a member of the family Apiaceae . It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves...
. The term now more frequently applies to unspiced red Bordeaux wine.
The meaning of "claret" has changed over time to refer to a dry, dark red Bordeaux. It has remained a term associated with the English upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
, and consequently appears on bottles of generic red Bordeaux in an effort to raise its status in the market.
In November 2011, the president of the Union des Maisons de Négoce de Bordeaux, announced an intention to use the term Claret de Bordeaux for wines that are ‘light and fruity, easy to drink, in the same style as the original claret when it was prized by the English in former centuries’.