Christmas Claret

The other week I was watching the episode of Fawlty Towers in which Basil Fawlty is trying to impress a customer (Mr Walt) who he thinks is an hotel inspector. Basil comes out with the wonderfully ingratiating comment "I can tell that you know your wines, most of the guests we get here wouldn't know a Bordeaux from a claret". When Mr Walt points out that a Bordeaux is a claret Basil who knows very little about wine, having dug himself a little hole, just keeps on digging!

Mr Walt was quite right, Claret and Bordeaux (or more accurately red Bordeaux) are indeed one and the same – red wine from the Bordeaux region of south eastern France. Bordeaux is France’s (indeed the World’s) largest quality wine growing region with some 115,000 hectares (over 275,000 acres) of vineyards. Whilst the region is famous for red wines it also produces wonderful white wines. Christmas is a great time to have a quick look at this wonderful wine growing region as the wines of Bordeaux make perfect partners to many of the dishes we are likely to have over the holiday period.

Claret, although I doubt very much if Basil was aware of it, is a corruption of the French word clairette (meaning light red wine) and is a term used mainly by the British wine trade to describe a red wine from Bordeaux. It dates back hundreds of years to the early days of the trade in wine between the British and the French and these old ties are still evident today in the names of several of the region’s top wine estates – eg. Smith-Haut-Lafitte, Cantenac-Brown, Leoville-Barton.

Whatever name you use, the reds of Bordeaux are nearly always blended from at least two grape varieties – the important ones are Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The region is influenced greatly by water; to the west is the Atlantic and to the east are the Dordogne and Garonne river systems that join to form the huge Gironde Estuary that splits the region both in terms of geography and wine making.

In simple terms, to the west of the Gironde (the area known as the Médoc) the Cabernet Sauvignon is the main variety with the Merlot playing a supporting role, whilst to the east the importance of the grapes is reversed with the Merlot taking the lead in wines such as Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. Both styles are great to have with the turkey, or a beef or game dish. The Cabernet dominated wines have great structure and intensity whilst those featuring more Merlot are often softer and more rounded.

Bordeaux is also famous for sweet white wines, especially from the two communes of Sauternes and Barsac. These wines are made predominantly from Semillon (usually about 80%) and lesser amounts of Sauvignon Blanc. These wines are made from botrytised grapes that have been attacked by a fungal mould that has the effect of greatly increasing the sugar concentration of the juice and hence the sweetness of the wine. Brilliant with puddings (Christmas pud and lighter fruit dishes) they are also a wonderful (and slightly unlikely) partner to rich savoury dishes, especially pâté, and blue cheese such as Roquefort.

The same region also makes excellent dry white wines that are often overlooked. Again made from a combination of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the grapes for these wines are not botrytised and the result is dry whites that can vary from very light and elegant to rich and heady styles that have the potential to age for many years. Try the lighter wines as a partner to simple seafood dishes – prawns and smoked salmon work well, whilst the fuller styles are great if you like white wine with the turkey or maybe as a treat with richer fish dishes.

Give them all a try and the next time you meet Basil (or one of his many clones) you really will know your Bordeaux from your Claret!!