PronunciationHub Data Study
The Hardest Wine & Spirit Names to Pronounce (2026)
From Viognier to Gewürztraminer — ranked by monthly searches for help.
A wine list is a minefield of silent letters and French vowels. We ranked the grapes, regions, and bottles Americans most often look up how to pronounce — so the next time the sommelier asks, you answer without hedging.
| # | Word | Often said as | Actually | Monthly U.S. searchesfor help saying it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pinot Noir | “PIN-oh-NWAHR” | PEE-noh-NWOR | 5,400 |
| 2 | Sauvignon Blanc | “saw-vig-non blank” | soh-vin-YOHN BLAWN | 4,400 |
| 3 | Cabernet Sauvignon | “CAB-er-net SOW-vin-yon” | KAB-er-nay SOH-vin-yon | 2,900 |
| 4 | Cognac | “cog-NAK” | KON-yak | 2,900 |
| 5 | Viognier | “vee-OG-nee-er” | vee-ohn-YAY | 2,400 |
| 6 | Pinot Grigio | “PIN-oh GREE-jee-oh” | PEE-noh GREE-zhoh | 1,900 |
| 7 | Gewürztraminer | “joo-erts-trah-mee-ner” | GVERTS-trah-mee-ner | 1,600 |
| 8 | Sangiovese | “san-jee-OH-vee-see” | SAN-joh-VAY-zee | 1,600 |
| 9 | Chianti | “chee-AHN-tee” | kee-AHN-tee | 1,600 |
| 10 | Riesling | “RYE-zling” | REES-ling | 1,300 |
| 11 | Merlot | “MER-lot” | mer-LOH | 1,000 |
| 12 | Prosecco | “proh-SEK-oh” | pruh-SEK-oh | 880 |
| 13 | Limoncello | “lee-mon-SELL-oh” | lee-mun-CHELL-oh | 880 |
| 14 | Chardonnay | “CHAR-duh-nay” | shar-duh-NAY | 590 |
| 15 | Syrah | “suh-RAH” | SIH-ruh | 590 |
| 16 | Malbec | “mal-BEEK” | MAL-bek | 590 |
| 17 | Sauternes | “saw-TER-nuhs” | saw-TERN | 590 |
| 18 | Burgundy | “bur-GUND-ee” | BER-gun-dee | 590 |
| 19 | Pinot Gris | “PEE-noh GRISS” | PEE-noh GREE | 480 |
| 20 | Shiraz | “SHY-raz” | shih-RAHZ | 480 |
| 21 | Chenin Blanc | “CHAY-nin BLANK” | SHEN-in BLANK | 480 |
| 22 | Champagne | “cham-PAY-nee” | sham-PAYN | 480 |
| 23 | Montepulciano | “MON-tuh-pol-SEE-ah-no” | MON-tuh-pull-CHAH-no | 480 |
| 24 | Châteauneuf-Du-Pape | “CHAT-uh-noo-fuh-du-pap” | SHAT-oh-NUFF-doo-PAHP | 480 |
| 25 | Tempranillo | “tem-PRAN-il-oh” | tem-pruh-NEE-lyoh | 390 |
| 26 | Rioja | “ree-OH-jah” | REE-oh-hah | 390 |
| 27 | Ouzo | “OW-zoh” | OO-zoh | 320 |
| 28 | Cava | “KAY-vuh” | KAH-vuh | 260 |
| 29 | Carménère | “KAR-men-air” | kar · men · AIR | 260 |
| 30 | Sémillon | “SEM-ih-lon” | SAY-mee-yohn | 210 |
| 31 | Moscato | “mos-KAT-oh” | mos-KAH-toh | 210 |
| 32 | Nebbiolo | “NEB-ee-oh-loh” | neh-BYOH-loh | 170 |
| 33 | Tokaji | “toh-KAI” | TOH-kah-yee | 170 |
| 34 | Amarone | “uh-MAH-rohn” | ah-mah-ROH-nay | 140 |
| 35 | Garnacha | “gar-NAH-kah” | gar-NAH-chuh | 110 |
| 36 | Albariño | “al-buh-REE-no” | ahl-buh-REE-nyoh | 110 |
| 37 | Barolo | “buh-ROH-loh” | bah-ROH-loh | 70 |
| 38 | Lambrusco | “LAM-brus-ko” | lam-BRUS-koh | 70 |
| 39 | Côtes Du Rhône | “COAST dyuh ROAN” | KOHT dyuh ROHN | 70 |
| 40 | Petit Verdot | “PET-it VER-doh” | PET-ee VER-doh | 50 |
How we ranked this
We took every entry in our wine and spirit pronunciation guide and pulled its U.S. monthly search volume for the query “how to pronounce [word]” from Google's keyword-planner data (exact-match, United States). The more people search for help saying a word, the more reliably it trips people up — so search volume is our proxy for “most mispronounced.” Each word links to a page with native audio, IPA, and the specific sounds English speakers miss.
Search volume reflects demand for help, not a judgment about any “correct” regional pronunciation. Where a word has competing accepted pronunciations, we note that on its page.
Citing this study
Free to cite with a link. Suggested credit: “The Hardest Wine & Spirit Names to Pronounce (2026)” — PronunciationHub (2026), pronunciationhub.com/study/hardest-wine-names-to-pronounce/.
Working on a related piece? We can pull custom pronunciation data for journalists on request — [email protected].