claret [KLAR-eht]
1. A term used by the English when referring to the red wines from Bordeaux. It’s derived from the French clairet, which refers to a Bordeaux wine with a style somewhere between a red and rosé—in short, a light refreshing red wine. It’s made by drawing fermenting wine off after very short skin contact. 2. Elsewhere, the word claret is sometimes used as a general reference to light red wines. Even though “claret” sometimes appears on labels, it has no legal definition.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.