{"id":7050472,"date":"2026-08-29T00:55:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-29T00:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/bordeaux-claret-and-clairet-wine-wit-and-wisdom\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T00:55:46","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T00:55:46","slug":"bordeaux-claret-and-clairet-wine-wit-and-wisdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7050472","title":{"rendered":"Bordeaux, Claret, and Clairet \u2013 Wine, Wit, and Wisdom"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"\"<\/a>Two words, both alike in dignity, in Beautiful Bordeaux, where we lay our scene\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

With apologies to Shakespeare, I\u2019d like to gently bring up the topic of claret<\/em> and clairet<\/em>. If you are a casual wine lover and believe them to be the same word, I understand. If you are a sophisticated wine lover accustomed to using the term claret<\/em> to generically refer to any nice, dry, red wine\u2026I understand. If you are anyone confused by the term clairet,<\/em> we all empathize.<\/p>\n

The Bordelais, however, may not understand. You see, the cahier des charges<\/em> for the Bordeaux AOC has been updated to assign a very particular definition for both terms, as discussed below!<\/p>\n

For starters, consider clairet.<\/em><\/strong> The official documentation (the cahier des charges)<\/em> for Bordeaux states that this term is reserved for dark ros\u00e9 wines (\u201cvin ros\u00e9 fonc\u00e9\u201d). It is believed that this style of darker, fuller-bodied ros\u00e9 is similar to the Bordeaux Rouge produced during the Middle Ages\u2014as was often exported to England and also known as vinum clarum <\/em>or vin clar.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

According to the cahier<\/em>, Bordeaux Clairet should have an intense and bright color with raspberry highlights and aromas of ripe, juicy fruit. They have a more full-bodied taste than other ros\u00e9s with a longer finish and should be enjoyed while young (within three years of bottling). The Oxford Companion to Wine<\/u>\u00a0notes that the wine is usually fermented on the grape skins for about 24 hours before being pressed.<\/p>\n

Next, consider the more complicated term: claret. <\/em><\/strong>This term has been used historically, primarily by the British, to refer to the any of the red wines of Bordeaux, and\u2014outside of France\u2014is sometimes used as an unofficial, generic term for dry red wine. However, with the recent (2026) update to the cahier des charges<\/em> for the Bordeaux AOC (as approved by the EU), the term is now officially defined (within the EU) as light red wine (\u201cvin rouge clair\u201d).<\/p>\n

These new regulations state that Bordeaux Claret should have a light ruby red to purple color and a light tannic structure. Aromas should be moderate to intense and redolent of ripe red fruit. In addition, malolactic fermentation is optional for claret, while it remains mandatory for the other red wines of Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Bordeaux Claret is allowed to contain up to 7 g\/L of residual sugar\u2014although this allowance goes hand-in-hand with minimum levels of tartaric acid, and the wine must be perceived as dry. As such, the sugar allowance (when used) is meant to enhance the smoother texture of the wine and not to create an off-dry wine.<\/p>\n