Claret 404153 224370079 2008-07-08T15:37:38Z 75.134.21.253 /* Pronunciation */ {{Citations missing|date=March 2008}} {{dablink|For other uses, see [[Claret (disambiguation)]]}} '''Claret''' is a name used in [[English language|English]], primarily in [[United Kingdom|Britain]], for red [[wine]] from the [[Bordeaux wine|Bordeaux]] region of [[France]]. ==Usage== The term claret is most common in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name=OCW-Claret>winepros.com.au. {{Cite web|last= ''Oxford Companion to Wine''| title= Claret |url= http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=710}}</ref> People from other English-speaking countries (including the United States) usually call it "red Bordeaux" or just "Bordeaux". It has been coined from the [[clairet]], a now uncommon dark [[rosé]] which was the most common style of wine exported from Bordeaux until the 18th century. ''Claret'' is a protected name within the [[European Union]] for describing a red Bordeaux wine; it was accepted after the British wine trade demonstrated over 300 years' usage of the word. The name ''Claret'' is occasionally used in the United States as a [[semi-generic]] label for any red wine in a style similar to that of Bordeaux. However, the usual practice today is to label wines by the [[grape variety]] or varieties from which they are made. The French themselves do not use the term Claret, except for export purposes. Usage has expanded to include the colour which resembles the [[red]] hue of this wine. It has also become a [[slang]] word for ''[[blood]]''. An old English expression for giving someone a bloody nose is "Tapping the Claret". ==Pronunciation== ''Claret'' is frequently mispronounced as [{{IPA|klæ'ɹeɪ}}] as it is believed to be a French word. Although it is originally from the French word ''clairet''<ref name=OCW-Claret/> (English translation is 'pale') the word ''claret'' is an English invention and thus is traditionally pronounced according to rules of English [[phonology]] as [{{IPA|'klæɹɪt}}]. The mispronunciation is a form of [[hypercorrection]]. ==History== The [[Plantagenet]] kingdom, covering [[England]] and much of [[France]] from [[1152]] to [[1453]], encouraged wine trade and the development of English taste for this wine, adopting the French word ''clairet'' to describe it. In the [[Late Middle Ages]], a ''claret'' was a spiced wine-based drink produced by pouring wine, usually a red, over a bag containing a mix of spices. It was similar, and often identical, to [[hypocras]]. Spices that were specific to medieval clarets include [[anise]], [[caraway]], [[cardamom]], [[cinnamon]] and [[fennel]]. The term now more frequently applies to unspiced red Bordeaux wine. It must be noted that the standard style of Bordeaux wine has not always been deep red. It used to be more of a rosé wine, hence the name: ''claret'' (English) coming from ''clairet'' (french), meaning ''pale''. The meaning of "claret" has changed over time to refer to a dry, dark red Bordeaux.<ref name=OCW-Claret/> ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:French wines]] [[de:Bordeaux (Weinbaugebiet)]] [[fr:Vignoble de Bordeaux]] [[it:Bordeaux (vino)]] [[lb:Bordeaux (Wäibauregioun)]] [[nl:Bordeaux (wijnstreek)]] [[ja:ボルドーワイン]] [[sv:Bordeauxviner]]