Not being able to pronounce a word can be embarrassing. I should know since I had to learn English practically from scratch when I moved to Los Angeles in the mid-90s. To this day, I continue to mispronounce certain words, but my sons make sure to correct me when I do ; ) However, being French allowed me to have a definite advantage when trying to pronounce certain wine varietals, especially the ones coming from France. Most people in the US refrain from ordering certain wines from the menu only because they can’t pronounce their names. They are definitely missing out and might be passing on a great wine experience, only because of one silly hindrance. So, let’s alleviate this small handicap and review some of the most common wine name pronunciations, all with an audio reference. Let’s ponder! I mean… Repeat after me!
Wine Name Pronunciation Guide
Written and published by Laurent Jouvin exclusively for Wine Ponder!
English has been widely propagated around the world by the British Empire. Through the spread of English literature, world media networks such as the BBC, the emergence of the US as a global superpower, and the Internet, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and in professional contexts such as science. But when it comes to wine, the terminology belongs to Europe… Except the word “meritage” which is a made-up term that belongs to California, and is pronounced “mer-i-tij” (rhymes with “heritage”).
Undeniably, certain wine names can be difficult to pronounce – even for me! People always ask me to help them with the pronunciation of French varietals. I firmly believe that the Gewurztraminer’s unpopularity is entirely because nobody dares to say that infamous word out loud. So I asked a very good friend of mine, who happens to be a professional voice-over actor, to read some of those wine names for us. Glenn Steinbaum has read hundreds of promos for TV shows and movie trailers! You know, he is one of the few guys who can say “IN A WORLD…” and give you goosebumps. He graciously offered to lend his extraordinary talent to this important cause, and we are all eternally grateful for his vocal reference. So without further ado, I present to you our very own wine name pronunciation guide along with the audio reference, exclusively on Wine Ponder.
Speak The Wine Language Like A Pro
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Oh and since we’re talking about wine names, Make sure to check out one of the most-read articles of Wine Ponder: “Funny And Unusual Wine Names” – Featuring both TV and radio commercials for Total Wine & More.
And now, back to our wine name pronunciation guide…
This and hundreds more wine quotes!
I hope you found our wine name pronunciation guide useful. And if you’re still having problems getting the pronunciation right, I suggest enjoying some wine while you’re practicing. Your accent and elocution skills will improve greatly after a glass or two. While this may or may not be true, the alcohol will definitely make you believe it is ;)
Santé!
This is pretty cool, but can I get a clarification on Perrier Jouët (pehr-ree’yay jhoo-ey)? My understanding has always been that because of the umlauts over the e you pronounce the t – Jhoo-et.
Grammatically, you are correct. The presence of the umlauts above the letter u signifies or indicates that it must be pronounced separately from the following letter. So technically, we are supposed to pronounce the t. However, I chose the most common pronunciation. I’m guessing about 90% of the population keep the letter t silent. In retrospect, I probably should have chosen the other one. Thanks for you comment, Rebecca.
You are correct that this name would be pronounced “Joo-ett”(or, with a French accent, devoice the T, making it “Joo-ehh”). Like the name “Moët,” the name is Dutch in origin and retains the Dutch spelling because it retains the Dutch pronunciation. The French don’t seem to be as hung up on altering foreign words as anglophones are.
Hi !
This is awesome but I would like to bring my own prononciation for the sound “Jo” like in BeauJOlais.
It cant be “zhuh”. It’s a Jo like in Joe, or Jo like in George but without the D sound in front. Hard to find the phonetic for that sound I agree !
Who’s got a better one ?
You are correct, Sylvia. I was not able to find the proper phonetic online considering this is a French word, and the same sound isn’t very prevalent in the English language. I suppose it should have been something like “boh-jho-ley”. Anyway, thank you so much for your comment ; )
J’adoooooooore!
T’as l’inverse avec Rigatoni et quarter?
Bisoux de moi
Bien content que ça te plaise, Val. J’avoue que j’ai eu une petite pensée pour toi quand j’ai enregistré Glenn. J’aurais du les mettre sur la liste… spécial Val ; )
Unfortunately many of these pronunciations are incorrect!
Especially these two:
Gevrey Chambertin
Gewürztraminer
Tom, the pronunciation of those words and wine terms has been shamelessly anglicized to allow for a better comprehension. My readers being located mostly in the United States, I figured it would be more appropriate to give them something they can relate to. If I wanted to give them the French pronunciation, I could have dome this fairly easily considering my origins. In my humble opinion, knowing how to pronounce Grand Cru Classé with a French accent is pointless if no one understands it. Thanks for your comment.
Awesome ! J’adore. La classe. Moi je vais désormais essayer de dire les noms français avec l’accent anglais. Oui je sais ça devient un peu compliqué (et attention à l’effet Jean-Claude Vandamme LoL). Ça me fait réaliser comme je devrais profiter un peu plus des bons vins français et devenir aussi “connoissor”. Je vais tester les vins californiens pusiqu’ils semblent être pas mal et que j’ai désormais un guide. You’re lucky to work with people such as Glenn Steinbaum (and in California)! I’ve watched the movie “In a world” with my daughter and we totally loved it.
Merci Myriam! J’apprécie beaucoup ton feedback. Oui, essaye les vins californiens. Ils sont très différents de nos vins Français mais ils sont d’une très bonne qualité pour la plupart. Bisous ; )
These pronunciations are unbelievably culturally offensive. Hilarious in fact. If you want to simply learn the Anglicised/Americanized way to say these names then this is a great resource. Ignorance is understandable, but to conciously butcher another’s language is just downright rude.
I’m no wine expert but I cringe every time someone says malbec incorrectly. If you want a laugh listen to Marsanne, Gewürztraminer, or Grenache. My personal favorite… moose-skat.
The pronunciation of those words and wine terms has been shamelessly anglicized to allow for a better comprehension. My readers being located mostly in the United States, I figured it would be more appropriate to give them something they can relate to. If I wanted to give them the French pronunciation, I could have dome this fairly easily considering my origins. In my humble opinion, knowing how to pronounce Grand Cru Classé with a French accent is pointless if no one understands it. As crude as it might be, I do however appreciate your feedback. Thank you for being a Wine Ponder fan.
I came here with the sole purpose of finding the correct way to say Malbec. Is it an “a” as in wall, or as in cat? I keep hearing both and it is making me crazy!! By the way, servers should NOT correct a customer. That is rude.
Hi Holly. The pronunciation of Malbec is definitely and positively with an “a” as in cat. Thank you for visiting Wine Ponder!
I came for the same reason and don’t understand your answer. If it’s positively … as in “cat”, then why, in your list, do you use “mall”? Most of us Americans know shopping “malls” and we don’t pronounce them like “cats”.
Hi Robert. This was a definite mistake when writing this article. I have since fixed it. Thank you so much for your feedback.
Follow the French pronounciation. If double guess your audiences ability you are doing them a disservice!
This post has created quite a buzz and a huge polemic regarding the americanized pronunciation given to those French words. This was a deliberate choice, and perhaps one could argue it wasn’t the right one. I am considering adding the proper, more adequate French pronunciation on the page in the future. Thank you for leaving your feedback, Graeme. It is greatly appreciated.
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Great, fun article. It has been awhile since the last addition. Well done and appreciated.
This caught my eye and ear:
Vin De Pays (vah deh pay-ee)
So, is the third word in the phrase pronounced as one syllable (“pay”) or two (“pay-ee” as spelled above)?
Definitely 2 syllables.
Here is a perennial tongue-twister for us Americans who don’t hail from a French ancestry:
Reims
Ha! Yes, this sound is very difficult for foreigners. Its pronunciation is somewhat similar to “rance” in English. After all, it is the capital of Champagne so we should make an effort to pronounce it correctly ; )
And a second Champagne affiliated name:
Taittinger
I hear it alternately pronounced:
French: Tay – ton – jay
Anglicized: Tat – ten – jour
I would say it’s closer to this: [tay – tan – zhay]
Alsatian.
I hear it alternately pronounced:
Al – say – cee – own
Al – zay – cee – own
So this one only has 3 syllables. It is pronounced [al – zay – shun] in English. The French word Alsacien is pronounced [al – zah – seeuh(n)] where the (n) is the nasal sound that is common in French.
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