Dec 14, 2023
Bottle Ticket for Claret, c. 1805
The word claret on this bottle ticket is the English name for the light red wine from Bordeaux in south-west France. It was processed for the English market into a strong wine with a good flavour, but which was "intoxicating and not suitable for all stomachs". The anchor here indicates that this claret was served in the wardroom or Great Cabin aboard a ship.
Bottle tickets labelled the contents of a bottle or carafe, which could also contain spirits, sauces, toilet water or spirits. Contemporary gazettes have referred to "bottle tickets" since the 1770s, but it was not until the 1790s that they were established as wine or carafe labels.