Call it Claret (while we still can)

In a misguided attempt to halt falling sales by re-inventing red Bordeaux, the authorities in France have decided wines labelled as ‘Claret’ have to be pale and light with lowish tannins and alcohol. Aimed squarely at Gen Z, these new ‘Clarets’ can include up to seven grams of residual sugar and might be served with ice. It’s sad that arguably the greatest wine region of the world is now desperate enough to think that tinkering with new products might save it. There’s a risk too – consider how the reputation of Beaujolais suffered after the promotion of Beaujolais Nouveau. As a result of this decision, ordinary “claret” for the British market will vanish from our shelves to be relabelled as plain old Bordeaux. Harumph… Meanwhile, whatever the name on the front label, and as we have been saying for years, Bordeaux is one of the best value sources in the world for perfectly balanced, food-friendly reds in the £14-£20 range.