In literature, claret is not merely a drink but a symbol of refined indulgence and sociability. Its mention often evokes lavish banquets and convivial gatherings, serving as a centerpiece at dining tables where conversations and revelry intertwine ([1],[2],[3],[4]). Beyond its role as a beverage, claret lends its name to culinary concoctions and even suggests a distinctive color in descriptions of attire and atmosphere, underscoring a nuanced aesthetic quality ([5],[6],[7],[8]). At times, the term also carries a deeper, almost symbolic weight—as when its richness is compared to the vitality of life or even blood ([9])—demonstrating its versatility in evoking moods and settings in the literary tradition.
- But as bygones are bygones, and no help for them, what say ye to a fine lobster and a bottle of as good claret as any in Ireland?
— from Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray
- Never was better claret at any man's table than at honest Rawdon's; dinners more gay and neatly served.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
- George was still drinking claret when she returned to the dining-room, and made no signs of moving.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
- George asked, with scarcely a sneer, filling another glass of claret.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
- He wore a semi-military smoking jacket, claret-coloured, with a black velvet collar.
— from The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Stew it with claret-wine, only adding these few varieties more than the other; viz.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
- If you bake it to eat hot, give it but half the seasoning, and liquor it with claret-wine, and good butter.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
- "And then he gave them up?" "Oh, no," said Sir William ruefully, "he wore those claret-coloured trousers to the very end."
— from The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo and da Pisa Rusticiano
- The bloody shirt and handkerchief confirmed the idea suggested by the bullet; for the blood on examination proved to be capital claret, and no more.
— from The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven Edition by Edgar Allan Poe