Wine Word of the Week: Claret



By Kori ~ May 21st, 2009.

Wine Word of the WeekThis week’s Wine Word of the Week is claret.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Claret is the English (not American) term generally used to describe red wines from the Bordeaux region, or red Bordeaux. Claret has also been used as a generic term for a vaguely identified class of red table wines supposedly drier, and possibly higher in tannins, than those wines sold as generic burgundy….

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Claret is the European term for red Bordeaux wines. Some American producers use the term to describe their red Bordeaux-style blends.


Filed under: Wine Word of the Week

Reader's Comments

  1. Becky | May 26th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    Have been producing Claret since 2002. Our 2006 just received OUTSTANDING from Seattle Wine Awards. Retail price $20.00