CLEAR AS CLARIET
You may have encountered the term Claret and wondered what it is? After all, there is no grape variety called claret. The term can be traced back to medieval times and has evolved in its meaning through the centuries. However one thing is certain, it’s deeply rooted in
Bordeaux.
The term Claret comes from Clairet which means clear, and Clairet is a French type of wine much loved in medieval times but rarely seen in the modern era, in fact when Eleanor of Aquitaine’s married Henry Plantagenet of England in the 13th century. Eleanor brought with her a taste for these wines and very soon galleons were shipping loads across the Channel to satisfy the great English demand. So originally all Clarets were Clairets, any clearer?
The Clariet is a peculiarrosé wine
and over time the English word Claret was used to describe Bordeaux wine that had been spiced, eventually the term Claret was used to describe any red wine from Bordeaux. So what is Clairet wine like? Well it is a deep dark rose colour, made from the same grapes as the reds of Bordeaux, the grape juice is left lie on the skins for at least two days if not more, rosé wine just sits in the grape skins for a few hours. It is silky smooth, smells of ripe rich fruit and has a big fruit finish.
