But first, who can remember Kim from the Kath and Kim show ordering a car-de-nay? It was pretty funny! But unfortunately rings true and even regular wine drinkers may not know the correct way to pronounce the below wines when ordering at restaurants.
Trump Wine List
So we decided to post the following wine pronounciation guide for casual wine drinkers wanting to learn some basics about the correct way to pronounce their favourite and most popular wine varieties. Note: Some of the below pronounciations may vary depending on international interpretations. Eg, Merlot in Australia is pronounced mer-loh but in France is pronounced mare-loh.
Ok here we go and you can test yourself by awarding one point for every corrent pronounciation. Maximum points, 17.
Brut
Pronounced broot
Cabernet Sauvignon
Pronounced cab-er-nay-saw-vee-nyon
Chardonnay
Pronounced shar-doh-nay
Chianti
Pronounced key-AHN-tee
Hermitage
Pronounced er-mee-tahj
Merlot
Pronounced mer-loh
Moet
Pronounced moh-ett
Pinot Blanc
Pronounced pee-noh-blahnk
Pinot Grigio
Pronounced pee-noh-GREE-joe
Pinot Gris
Pronounced pee-noh-gree
Pinot Noir
Pronounced pee-noh-nwahr
Riesling
Pronounced REESE-ling
Sangiovese
Pronounced san-joe-VAE-sae
Sauvignon Blanc
Pronounced saw-vee-nyon-blahnk
Semillon
Pronounced seh-mee-yohn
Spumante
Pronounced spoo-MAHN-tay
Viognier
Pronounced vee-oh-nyay
How did you go? Well if you’re like most of us you probably didn’t get 100% of the above wine names correct; but that’s okay especially in Australia where we’re a bit more relaxed than perhaps the French would be.
TIP: if you find yourself stuck in a restaurant trying to figure out how to pronounce the name of a wine in front of people you would prefer not too; simply excuse yourself from the table, ask a waiter and return to the table with new found cofindence.
Salute!
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