Pronounce · Wines
How to Pronounce Wines & Grape Varieties
Sauvignon blanc, Gewürztraminer, Tempranillo — order them out loud without flinching.
You are standing at a restaurant, the sommelier is waiting, and the wine you want is Gewürztraminer. You know exactly what it tastes like. You have no idea how to say it. So you point at the menu and mumble something. It works, but it feels like a small defeat. That is the problem this page fixes.
Here you will find the grapes and wines that trip people up most — French classics like Pouilly-Fumé and Viognier, Spanish bottles like Tempranillo and Albariño, German mouthfuls like Spätburgunder, Italian staples like Sangiovese and Vermentino. Each entry gives you a phonetic breakdown written in plain English, not linguistics symbols, plus a native-speaker audio clip so you can hear it before you try it.
The page is organized by region, because pronunciation follows geography. French wine names follow French sound rules. Spanish ones follow Spanish rules. Once you see the pattern, a whole shelf of bottles becomes easier to read aloud.
Every pronunciation has been checked against native speakers and, where an official producer or appellation body has published guidance, we use that as the primary source.
Editor's picks
No. 01 · Wine & spirits
Sauvignon Blanc
soh-vin-YOHN BLAWN
Master the pronunciation of this crisp white wine by focusing on the nasal French ending and the soft G sound.
No. 02 · Wine & spirits
Cabernet Sauvignon
KAB-er-nay SOH-vin-yon
Pronounce this popular red wine grape and its wines, from Bordeaux to your glass.
No. 03 · Wine & spirits
Merlot
mer-LOH
Pronounce this popular red wine correctly: mer-LOH. It's a common grape and wine name.
No. 04 · Wine & spirits
Chardonnay
shar-duh-NAY
Learn how to pronounce Chardonnay correctly with this simple guide, focusing on the French-influenced stress on the final syllable.
No. 05 · Wine & spirits
Pinot Noir
PEE-noh-NWOR
Pronounce this popular red wine: PEE-noh-NWOR.
No. 06 · Wine & spirits
Pinot Grigio
PEE-noh GREE-zhoh
Pronounce this popular Italian white wine: PEE-noh GREE-zhoh.
30 wine pronunciations
- albariño ahl-buh-REE-nyoh
- amarone ah-mah-ROH-nay
- barbaresco bar-buh-RES-koh
- barolo bah-ROH-loh
- brunello broo-NEL-oh
- burgundy BER-gun-dee
- cabernet KAB-er-nay SAV-in-yon
- cabernet franc kab-er-NAY FRANK
- cabernet sauvignon KAB-er-nay SOH-vin-yon
- carménère kar · men · AIR
- cava KAH-vuh
- champagne sham-PAYN
- chardonnay shar-duh-NAY
- chenin blanc SHEN-in BLANK
- chianti kee-AHN-tee
- châteauneuf-du-pape SHAT-oh-NUFF-doo-PAHP
- cognac KON-yak
- côtes du rhône KOHT dyuh ROHN
- dolcetto dol-CHET-oh
- garnacha gar-NAH-chuh
- gewürztraminer GVERTS-trah-mee-ner
- gewürztraminer GVERTS-trah-mee-ner
- grappa GRAH-puh
- lambrusco lam-BRUS-koh
- limoncello lee-mun-CHELL-oh
- malbec MAL-bek
- merlot mer-LOH
- montepulciano MON-tuh-pull-CHAH-no
- moscato mos-KAH-toh
- nebbiolo neh-BYOH-loh
- ouzo OO-zoh
- petit verdot PET-ee VER-doh
- pinot grigio PEE-noh GREE-zhoh
- pinot gris PEE-noh GREE
- pinot noir PEE-noh-NWOR
- prosecco pruh-SEK-oh
- retsina reh-TSEE-nah
- ribera del duero ree-BEH-rah del DWEH-roh
- riesling REES-ling
- rioja REE-oh-hah
- sangiovese SAN-joh-VAY-zee
- sangiovese red wine SAN-joh-VAY-zee
- sauternes saw-TERN
- sauvignon suh-VIN-yun
- sauvignon blanc soh-vin-YOHN BLAWN
- shiraz shih-RAHZ
- syrah SIH-ruh
- sémillon SAY-mee-yohn
- tempranillo tem-pruh-NEE-lyoh
- tokaji TOH-kah-yee
- verdejo ber-DAY-ho
- vermentino ver-men-TEE-no
- viognier vee-ohn-YAY
Frequently asked
How do you actually pronounce Gewürztraminer?
Say it <em>guh-VURTS-trah-mee-ner</em> — the first syllable is soft, the stress lands on the second. It comes from the Alsace region of France by way of a German-speaking tradition, so the sounds are closer to German than French. Say it slowly twice before you order and it will come out clean.
Does it matter if my pronunciation is not perfect?
A sommelier or wine shop worker will understand you from context almost every time. That said, getting close to the correct pronunciation shows respect for where the wine comes from, and it genuinely helps in noisier settings where a garbled word gets lost. Aim for recognizable, not flawless.
Are there regional differences — like, do French people and Canadians say Pinot Noir the same way?
There are small differences in accent and rhythm, but the core pronunciation of wine names tends to follow the language of origin rather than the speaker's nationality. A French-Canadian saying <em>Pinot Noir</em> will sound slightly different from a Parisian, but both are closer to the French original than a fully anglicized version. We note significant regional variants where they exist.
What about wine names that have an English pronunciation everyone uses anyway?
Some names have an anglicized version so widespread that using it is completely normal — <em>Riesling</em> said as <em>REEZ-ling</em> rather than the German <em>REES-ling</em> is a good example. We give you both, flag which is closer to the origin, and let you decide. Neither version will get you a wrong glass of wine.
