Quick Guide to Wine Pronunciation

Correctly pronouncing wine names is one way to keep from irritating a wine snob; the
following table can help you out. The stressed syllable in each word is in italics, if no syllable
is italic, all syllables carry equal weight.

Auslese
Beaujolais
Bourgogne
Brut
Cabernet Sauvignon
Chablis
Chardonnay
Chteauneuf-du-Pape
Cte-Rotie
Gewrztraminer
Haut-Brion
Hermitage
Loire
Mcon
Merlot
Meursault
Mot
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Montrachet
Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
Muscadet
Pauillac
Perrier-Jout
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Noir
Pouilly-Fuiss
Riesling
Rioja
Sancerre
Sptlese
Viognier
Vosne-Romane
Willamette Valley

ouse-lay-seh
boh-jhoe-lay
boor-guh-nyuh
brute
cab-er-nay saw-vee-nyon
shah-blee
shar-dohn-nay
shah-toe-nuf-doo-pahp
coat-roe-tee
geh-vairtz-trah-mee-ner
oh-bree-ohn
er-mee-tahj
l'wahr
mah-cawn
mer-loh
muhr-so
moh-ett
mon-tae-pul-chee-ah-noh
dah-brute-zoh
mon-rah-shay
moh-zel-zar-roo-ver
moos-cah-day
poy-yac
per-ree-yay-joo-ett
pee-noh gree-joe
pee-noh nwahr
pwee-fwee-say
reese-ling
ree-oh-hah
sahn-air
shpate-lay-seh
vee-oh-nyay
vone-roh-mah-nay
wil-lam-et

Useful Terms for Describing Wine

When describing wine, wine merchants, restaurant servers, and your oenophile
friends will use specific language to tell you about its characteristics. Knowing these
words will help you understand the wine they're describing:

Aroma or bouquet: The smell of a wine bouquet applies particularly to the

aroma of older wines

Body: The apparent weight of a wine in your mouth (light, medium, or full)

Crisp: A wine with refreshing acidity

Dry: Not sweet

Finish: The impression a wine leaves as you swallow it

Flavor intensity: How strong or weak a wine's flavors are

Fruity: A wine whose aromas and flavors suggest fruit; doesn't imply
sweetness

Oaky: A wine that has oak flavors (smoky, toasty)

Soft: A wine that has a smooth rather than crisp mouthfeel

Tannic: A red wine that is firm and leaves the mouth feeling dry

Easy Wine Identifier

Most wines you find in shops and restaurants are named in two basic ways: for the variety of
the grape or for the place the grapes are grown. This instant guide decodes common wine
names and tells you the wine's color.
3Wine Name
Grape or Place

Wine Color

Barbera

Grape

Red

Bardolino

Place/Italy

Red

Barolo

Place/Italy

Red

Beaujolais

Place/France

Red

Bordeaux

Place/France

Red or white

Burgundy (Bourgogne)

Place/France

Red or white

Cabernet Sauvignon

Grape

Red

Chablis

Place/France

White

Champagne

Place/France

White or ros

Chardonnay

Grape

White

Chianti

Place/Italy

Red

Ctes du Rhne

Place/France

Red or white

Dolcetto

Grape

Red

Merlot

Grape

Red

Mosel

Place/Germany

White

Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris

Grape

White

Pinot Noir

Grape

Red

Port (Porto)

Place/Portugal

Red (fortified)

Pouilly-Fuiss

Place/France

White

Rhine (Rheingau, Rheinhessen)

Place/Germany

White

Riesling

Grape

White

Rioja

Place/Spain

Red or white

Sancerre

Place/France

White

Sauternes

Place/France

White (dessert)

Sauvignon Blanc

Grape

White

Sherry

Place/Spain

White (fortified)

Soave

Place/Italy

White

Syrah/Shiraz

Grape

Red

Valpolicella

Place/Italy

Red

Viognier

Grape

White

Zinfandel

Grape

Red or pink