Definition: Clairet

The term "clairet" is now reserved for wines with the AOC Bordeaux Clairet appellation, a way of perpetuating a centuries-old tradition of light red wines beloved by the English.

A light red wine, not very colourful, supple and fruity, produced mainly in the Bordeaux region. The skins of the fruit are left in the fermentation vat for only one or two days. This wine, which lacks tannins, should be drunk young and chilled.

As most red wine grapes are white-juiced and black-skinned, the birth of true red wine came about when men learned to macerate the skins with their juice, first a little, then a lot.

In the Middle Ages, this famous light red wine, known as "French claret" or "clairet français", delighted English palates while the Bordeaux region was under their rule.

Every year, hundreds of ships set sail for the United Kingdom, loaded with precious bottles of this freshly harvested and vinified wine.

It was not until much later, during the 17th and 18th centuries, that the winegrowers of these regions learned about long vatting. Deep red wines were then the preserve of the wealthy classes, first the aristocracy and then the bourgeoisie, with the common people having to make do with the by-product, a much lighter wine.