History Through a Wine Glass

were very light in color because of the wine-making process used then. Clairet means “clear” in French (with the “t” silent). The English angelized “Clairet” into “Claret” (with the “t” pronounced). Thus, the English, called red, blended wine from Bordeaux, Claret.

You can call this blended red wine Bordeaux or Claret and it will probably be a blend that includes these grape varieties; Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (the dominant grape varieties), Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and Malbec.

Here is another movie reference. In the last scene of the James Bond movie Diamonds Are Forever, Bond suspects that a waiter serving him Bordeaux wine is an assassin. He asks the waiter if he has any Claret. The waiter says no. Bond replies Bordeaux is Claret. A fight breaks out between the two, and Bond wins, of course. You never know when a bit of historical knowledge, or wine trivia, will come in handy.

Cheers! (Or should I say, Sante!)