French Wine Pronunciation

How to pronounce the names of French wines

French wine
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If you love French wine but hate ordering it, here's a page that can help. This list of French wines and related vocabulary includes sound files to help you pronounce the names of French wines. A la vôtre !
le vin   wine
le vin blanc   white wine
le vin rosé   rosé wine
le vin rouge   red wine
un verre   glass
une bouteille   bottle
une dégustation de vin   wine tasting
(learn more)
French Wines
Armagnac
Beaujolais nouveau
Bordeaux
Bourgogne   (burgundy)
Cabernet sauvignon
Chablis
Champagne
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Chenin blanc
Cognac
Médoc
Merlot
Muscat
Pinot blanc
Pinot gris
Pinot noir
Pomerol
Pouilly-Fuissé
Sancerre
Sauternes
Sauvignon blanc
Sémillon
St Émilion
Viognier
Vouvray
Go on to page 2 to learn some French wine tasting terms.
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French Expressions

Now that you know how to pronounce French wine and have ordered it, what next? There is a whole science to wine, called oenology, that analyzes everything from making wine to tasting wine. The latter is the most important part for consumers, so here are some terms to help you talk about what you're drinking.
La dégustation de vin

, or wine tasting, can be summed up into three steps.
1.

La robe - Appearance
Before you take even one sip, look at the wine and consider its color, clarity, and consistency. Here are some French terms to help you describe what you see.
La couleur - Color
In addition to obvious colors like rouge (red) and blanc (white), you might see

  • ambré - amber
  • brun - brown
  • carmin - crimson
  • cuivré - coppery
  • doré - golden
  • jaunâtre - yellowish
  • orangé - orangey
  • paille - straw
  • pourpre - scarlet
  • rose saumon - salmon pink
  • rubis - ruby
  • verdâtre - greenish
  • violacé - purplish
  • clair - light
  • foncé - dark
  • pâle - pale
  • profond - deep

La clarté

  • brillant - brilliant
  • brumeux - misty
  • clair - clear
  • cristallin - crystal-clear
  • opaque - opaque
  • un reflet - glint
  • terne - dull
  • trouble - muddy

La consistance

  • des bulles - bubbles
  • des dépôts - sediment
  • des jambes, larmes - "legs" or "tears"; how the wine flows down the sides of the glass
  • de la mousse - foam, bubbles

2. Le nez - Smellles arômesFrench food vocabularyfruitévégétalfruits and vegetablesagrumesfruits rougespamplemousseartichautchampignonsflorallavandejasminvioletteun goût de châtaignenoisettenoixépicépoivrecannellemuscadeherbacéréglissethymmenthe

  • boisé - woody
  • brûlé - burnt taste
  • cacao - cocoa
  • café - coffee
  • cèdre - cedar
  • charnu - meaty
  • chocolat - chocolate
  • foin - hay
  • fumé - smoky
  • médicinal - medicinal
  • minéral - mineral
  • musqué - musky
  • parfumé - fragrant
  • pin - pine
  • résiné - resinous
  • tabac - tobacco
  • terreux - earthy
  • thé - tea
  • vanille - vanilla

un défaut

  • bouchonné - corked
  • mildiousé - mildewed
  • moisi - moldy, musty
  • oxydé - oxidized

3. La bouche - Taste

  • acerbe - tart
  • acide - acidic
  • aigre - sour
  • aigu - sharp
  • amer - bitter
  • un arrière-goût - aftertaste
  • bien équilibré - well balanced
  • doux - sweet
  • frais - fresh
  • fruité - fruity
  • un goût - taste
  • la longueur / persistance en bouche - time the flavor remains in your mouth after swallowing
  • moelleux - sugary
  • une note - hint
  • plat - flat
  • rond - mild
  • rude - harsh
  • salé - salty
  • une saveur - flavor
  • sec - dry
  • sucré - sweet
  • apercevoir - to perceive
  • avaler - to swallow
  • boire - to drink
  • cracher - to spit out
  • faire tourner le vin dans le verre - to swirl the wine in the glass
  • incliner - to tilt (the glass)
  • remarquer - to notice
  • siroter - to sip
  • voir - to see

How to Taste Wines

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Team, ThoughtCo. "French Wine Pronunciation." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/french-wine-pronunciation-1371466. Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). French Wine Pronunciation. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-wine-pronunciation-1371466 Team, ThoughtCo. "French Wine Pronunciation." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-wine-pronunciation-1371466 (accessed March 19, 2024).