Silver claret jug Silver claret jug A silver Claret jug is a wine jug made of glass and silver for the so-called Claret, which is the British name for a French red Bordeaux wine. From the introduction of claret to Britain in 1663 specific vessels soon began to be designed to contain the wine and let it "breathe" before consumption. Early examples of claret jugs are usually in green glass (as were the wine bottles themselves) with a pewter lid, usually raised by a simple finger pad. From around 1740 to 1820 the fashion was to serve claret in either a fully glass
Silver claret jug examples were made entirely of silver. The level of craftsmanship and their aesthetic qualities determine their value. Unusual jugs, such as made by Charles Edwards or Christopher Dresser, or examples with fine engraved scenes may command high prices. The popularity of wine fell after the First World War and did not recover until the 1970s. The re-emergence of wine had a product that was less reliant upon decanting (part of the purpose of the jug) and the fashion was then generally to serve wine straight from the bottle. The purpose of the claret jug is therefore largely gone. Silver claret