Pronunciation Guide
Wines can take their names from the regions in which they are produced or the grapes from which they are made. So, while Bordeaux denotes a region, Chardonnay refers to the grape in the wine - we've divided our pronunciation guide accordingly. Let's talk wine.
Regional names
These are the most popular regional varieties of wine.
French varieties
Chablis
| Shab-lee. One of Burgundy's most famous white wines.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
| Shatto-nerf-doo-pap. Rich red wine from the Rhône.
Muscadet
| Moose-cad-ay. The bone dry white wine from the Loire.
German varieties
Liebfraumilch
| Leeb-frow-milsch. Medium dry white blend for Germany.
Italian varieties
Chianti
| Kee-yanti. Top red wine of Tuscany.
Soave
| So-warvay. Dry white wine from Verona in northern Italy.
Valpolicella
| Val-polly-chella. Red wine from northern Italy.
Portuguese varieties
Vinho Verde
| Veenyo-vair day. Crisp and fresh lemony white wine from northern Portugal.
Spanish varieties
Cava
| Car-vah. The Spanish equivalent of Champagne.
Rioja
| Ree-ockhar (with a lot of gutteral noises in the ckh). Spanish wine.
Grape names
These are the most popular varieties of grape used in wine production.
Cabernet Sauvignon
| Cabernay-So-vinyon. The world's most widely planted red grape.
Chardonnay
| Shar-don-ay. Most famous white grape in the world.
Chenin Blanc
| Shernan Blonk. White grape from the Loire in France and also South Africa and New Zealand.
Pinot Noir
| Pee-no Nwar. The famous red grape of Burgundy also grown in the New World.
Riesling
| Reece-ling (not Rice-ling). Elegant white grape, grown in Germany, Alsace and Australia.
Sangiovese
| Sangee-ovayzee. The red grape of Tuscany used to make Chianti.
Sauvignon Blanc
| So-vinyon-blonk. Zesty white grape grown in most of the world.
Semillon
| Semi-yon. White grape from France used for both dry and the famous sweet wines. Found in the New World as well.
Syrah
| Sirra. This red peppery Rhône grape is called Shiraz in New World wines.
Tempranillo
| Tempraneel-yo. Spicy red grape from Spain and South America.
Viognier
| Vee-on-yay. The sophisticated white grape of the renowned Rhône wine, Condrieu, now also grown in the Languedoc to make affordable Vin de Pays (Van duh Pay).