In the eighteenth century, Irelands elite could choose from a wide range of wines, but their favourite was claret - the red wine of Bordeaux. Whereas Britains wine drinkers turned to port in this period, and Americas elite filled their glasses with Madeira, in Ireland, claret flowed in the social world of the privileged classes. This book looks back to earliest times to trace the story of how and why a French wine became what Jonathan Swift fondly called 'Irish wine'. Exploring the social life of claret in Georgian Ireland through a range of period sources reveals the social meanings attached to this wine and expands our knowledge of Irelands fascinating food history.

Tara McConnell is a food historian with a particular interest in drinking studies and material culture in eighteenth-century Ireland. As a long-time Francophile and wine-lover she was irresistibly drawn to researching the role of claret in the lives of the Georgian elite.