Common Wine Pronunciations
A global guide to pronouncing the wine names that trip up everyone, from Burgundy villages to Italian grapes and German wine labels.
Wine's international vocabulary can be intimidating. French appellations, Italian grape varieties, German classification terms, and Spanish regions all follow pronunciation rules that differ from English. This guide covers the names you'll encounter most often on wine lists, in shops, and on exams, organized by country with phonetic guides designed for English speakers.
- French wine names account for the majority of pronunciation challenges in English-speaking markets, driven by silent consonants, nasal vowels, and unfamiliar letter combinations
- Italian pronunciation is largely phonetic and consistent, but stress placement varies and certain combinations (gn, gl, ch, sc) catch English speakers off guard
- German wine vocabulary uses sounds that don't exist in English, including the uvular ch (as in Bach) and front-rounded vowels (as in Gruner)
- Spanish pronunciation is relatively straightforward for English speakers, with the main challenges being the silent H, the soft J, and the double-L (ll) sound
- Confidence matters more than perfection: a close approximation delivered naturally always sounds better than an overcorrected attempt with an exaggerated accent
- Many wine professionals use anglicized versions of foreign names in everyday conversation, and this is widely accepted in the industry
French Wines and Regions
French is the source of most wine pronunciation anxiety. Key principles: final consonants are usually silent (Bordeaux ends in 'oh,' not 'ox'), the combination 'eau' and 'au' are pronounced 'oh,' nasal vowels appear in 'an/en' (sounds like 'ahn'), 'on' (sounds like 'ohn'), and 'in/ain' (sounds like 'an' with a nasal quality). The letter combination 'ch' is always 'sh,' never 'tch.' The French R is guttural, produced at the back of the throat, but a soft English R is perfectly acceptable in conversation. The biggest pitfall is treating French names like English words: Beaujolais is not 'boo-JOE-lays' and Hermitage does not rhyme with the English word.
- Bordeaux: bor-DOH (not 'bor-DOCKS')
- Burgundy/Bourgogne: boor-GOHN-yuh
- Beaujolais: boh-zhoh-LAY
- Champagne: shahm-PAHN-yuh
- Chablis: shah-BLEE
- Chateauneuf-du-Pape: shah-toh-NUHF doo PAHP
- Gevrey-Chambertin: zhev-RAY shahm-bair-TAN
- Pouilly-Fuisse: pwee-YEE fwee-SAY
- Hermitage: air-mee-TAHZH
- Condrieu: kohn-DREE-uh
- Sauternes: soh-TAIRN
- Meursault: muhr-SOH
- Pauillac: poh-YAK
- Saint-Émilion: sant ay-mee-lee-OHN
- Muscadet: moos-kah-DAY
- Vougeot: voo-ZHOH
- Montrachet: mohn-rah-SHAY
- Crozes-Hermitage: kroz air-mee-TAHZH
Italian Grapes and Regions
Italian is the most phonetic of the major wine languages. Every letter is generally pronounced, double consonants get extra emphasis, and the stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable. The trickiest combinations: 'ch' before e or i is a hard K sound (Chianti = kee-AHN-tee), 'gn' sounds like the 'ny' in canyon (Montepulciano vs. Vino Nobile), 'gl' before i sounds like 'ly' (Brunello), and 'sc' before e or i is 'sh' (Prosecco = pro-SEH-koh, not pro-SEE-koh). Note that Barolo has the stress on the second syllable, not the first.
- Chianti: kee-AHN-tee (ch before i = K)
- Barolo: bah-ROH-loh
- Brunello di Montalcino: broo-NEL-loh dee mohn-tahl-CHEE-noh
- Nebbiolo: neb-bee-OH-loh
- Sangiovese: san-joh-VAY-zeh
- Amarone: ah-mah-ROH-neh
- Valpolicella: val-poh-lee-CHEL-lah
- Montepulciano: mohn-teh-pool-CHAH-noh
- Prosecco: proh-SEH-koh
- Verdicchio: vair-DEEK-kee-oh
- Nero d'Avola: NEH-roh DAH-voh-lah
- Aglianico: ah-lee-AH-nee-koh (the g is silent)
- Gewurztraminer: geh-VOORTS-trah-mee-ner (German origin)
- Barbera d'Asti: bar-BEH-rah DAHS-tee
- Vermentino: vair-men-TEE-noh
- Grillo: GREE-loh
- Friulano: free-oo-LAH-noh
German and Austrian Wine Terms
German pronunciation intimidates English speakers largely because of unfamiliar letter combinations and word length. Key principles: 'w' is pronounced as 'v,' 'v' is pronounced as 'f,' 'z' is 'ts,' 'sch' is 'sh,' and the umlaut vowels (a, o, u) shift the sound forward in the mouth. The 'ch' after a, o, u is a back-of-throat sound (like clearing your throat), while after e, i, or a consonant it's a softer hissing 'kh.' The wine classification terms (Spatlese, Auslese, etc.) follow consistent patterns once you learn the vowel sounds. 'Ei' is always 'eye,' 'ie' is always 'ee,' and 'eu/au' is 'oy/ow' respectively.
- Riesling: REES-ling (not 'REEZ-ling')
- Gewurztraminer: geh-VOORTS-trah-mee-ner
- Spatlese: SHPAYT-lay-zeh
- Auslese: OWS-lay-zeh
- Trockenbeerenauslese: TROK-en-BEER-en-OWS-lay-zeh
- Eiswein: ICE-vine
- Mosel: MOH-zel
- Rheingau: RHINE-gow
- Pfalz: FAULTS
- Gruner Veltliner: GROO-ner FELT-lee-ner
- Zweigelt: TSVYE-gelt
- Blaufrankisch: BLOW-FRAHNK-ish
- Wachau: VAH-khow
- Muller-Thurgau: MOO-ler TOOR-gow
- Scheurebe: SHOY-reh-beh
Spanish Wine Names
Spanish pronunciation is the most accessible for English speakers among the major wine languages. Most letters sound similar to English, and spelling is highly consistent. The key differences: J is an aspirated H sound (Rioja = ree-OH-hah), H is always silent (Hermitage in Spanish contexts), double-L (ll) is a Y sound in most dialects, and the letter N with a tilde (n) is 'ny.' Stress generally falls on the second-to-last syllable for words ending in a vowel, and on the last syllable for words ending in a consonant. Spanish vowels are pure and consistent: A is always 'ah,' E is 'eh,' I is 'ee,' O is 'oh,' U is 'oo.'
- Rioja: ree-OH-hah
- Tempranillo: tem-prah-NEE-yoh
- Garnacha: gar-NAH-chah
- Ribera del Duero: ree-BEH-rah del DWEH-roh
- Priorat: pree-oh-RAHT
- Albarino: al-bah-REE-nyoh
- Txakoli: chah-koh-LEE (Basque origin)
- Jerez: heh-RETH (Castilian) or heh-RES
- Rueda: roo-EH-dah
- Godello: goh-DEH-yoh
- Manzanilla: mahn-thah-NEE-yah (Castilian) or mahn-sah-NEE-yah
- Monastrell: moh-nahs-TREL
- Verdejo: vair-DEH-hoh
- Cava: KAH-vah
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Study flashcards →Portuguese Wine Names
Portuguese pronunciation differs significantly from Spanish, despite the languages being related. Nasal vowels are common (indicated by a tilde or before m/n), unstressed vowels are often reduced or swallowed, and the letter combinations 'lh' and 'nh' produce sounds like 'ly' and 'ny' respectively. The 'ao' ending (as in Dao) is a nasal 'ow' sound. Portuguese S at the end of a word is often 'sh' in European Portuguese. Many English speakers default to Spanish pronunciation for Portuguese terms, which sounds noticeably wrong to anyone familiar with the language.
- Vinho Verde: VEEN-yoo VAIR-deh
- Dao: DOWNG (nasal)
- Douro: DOH-roo
- Alentejo: ah-len-TEH-zhoo
- Touriga Nacional: too-REE-gah nah-see-oh-NAHL
- Alvarinho: al-vah-REEN-yoo
- Bairrada: bye-RAH-dah
- Moscatel: moosh-kah-TEL
- Colheita: kol-YAY-tah
- Encruzado: en-kroo-ZAH-doo
International Grape Varieties and Other Languages
Beyond the major European wine countries, several important wine terms come from Greek, Hungarian, Georgian, South African (Afrikaans), and other traditions. Greek wine names use transliteration from the Greek alphabet, so pronunciation is approximate to begin with. Hungarian has consistent pronunciation rules but uses accent marks to indicate long vowels. Georgian wine terms have entered international wine vocabulary through the natural wine movement and the growing recognition of qvevri winemaking. Even common international grape names that originated in French are often mispronounced: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir all have specific French sounds that differ from the anglicized versions most people use.
- Sauvignon Blanc: SOH-vee-nyohn BLAHN (French); most English speakers say 'SOH-vin-yohn BLAHNK,' which is widely accepted
- Cabernet Sauvignon: kab-air-NAY SOH-vee-nyohn
- Pinot Noir: PEE-noh NWAHR
- Viognier: vee-oh-NYAY
- Assyrtiko: ah-SEER-tee-koh (Greek)
- Xinomavro: ksee-NOH-mav-roh (Greek)
- Tokaji: TOH-kah-yee (Hungarian)
- Furmint: FOOR-mint (Hungarian)
- Saperavi: sah-peh-RAH-vee (Georgian)
- Rkatsiteli: r-kah-tsee-TEH-lee (Georgian)
- Pinotage: pee-noh-TAHZH (South African, French-derived)
- Chenin Blanc: sheh-NAN BLAHN
- Gruner Veltliner: GROO-ner FELT-lee-ner (Austrian German)
- French: final consonants are usually silent, 'eau/au' = 'oh,' nasal vowels in 'an/en/on/in,' 'ch' = 'sh'
- Italian: largely phonetic, 'ch' before e/i = K, 'gn' = 'ny,' 'gl' before i = 'ly,' 'sc' before e/i = 'sh'
- German: 'w' = 'v,' 'v' = 'f,' 'z' = 'ts,' 'ei' = 'eye,' 'ie' = 'ee,' umlauts shift vowels forward
- Spanish: J = aspirated H, H is silent, 'll' = Y, consistent pure vowels (ah, eh, ee, oh, oo)
- For exams, know the correct pronunciation of all major appellations, grape varieties, and classification terms in the relevant language