Wine fundamentals 

Selecting a wine you prefer is simple after you will properly pronounce wine names, use acceptable terms to explain wine, rewrite wine names, and approach the choosing method confidently.
Quick Guide to Wine Pronunciation
Correctly announcing wine names is a method to stay from irritating a wine snob; the subsequent table will assist you out. The stressed language unit in every word is italicized; if no language unit is italicized, all syllables carry equal weight.

  • Auslese > ouse-lay-seh
  • Beaujolais > boh-jhoe-lay
  • Bourgogne > boor-guh-nyuh
  • Brut > brute
  • Cabernet Sauvignon > cab-er-nay saw-vee-nyon
  • Chablis > shah-blee
  • Chardonnay > shar-dohn-nay
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape > shah-toe-nuf-doo-pahp
  • Côte-Rotie > coat-roe-tee
  • Gewürztraminer > geh-vairtz-trah-mee-ner
  • Haut-Brion > oh-bree-ohn
  • Hermitage > er-mee-tahj
  • Loire > l’wahr
  • Mâcon > mah-cawn
  • Merlot > mer-loh
  • Meursault > muhr-so
  • Moët > moh-ett
  • Montepulciano d’Abruzzo > mon-tae-pul-chee-ah-noh dah-brute-zoh
  • Montrachet > mon-rah-shay
  • Mosel-Saar-Ruwer > moh-zel-zar-roo-ver
  • Muscadet > moos-cah-day
  • Pauillac > poy-yac
  • Perrier-Jouët > per-ree-yay-joo-ett
  • Pinot Grigio > pee-noh gree-joe
  • Pinot Noir > pee-noh nwahr
  • Pouilly-Fuissé > pwee-fwee-say
  • Riesling > reese-ling
  • Rioja > ree-oh-hah
  • Sancerre > sahn-air
  • Spätlese > shpate-lay-seh
  • Viognier > vee-oh-nyay
  • Vosne-Romanée > vone-roh-mah-nay
  • Willamette Valley > wil-lam-et

Useful terms of wine


  1. Aroma or bouquet: The smell of a wine — bouquet applies particularly to the aroma of older wines
  2. Body: The apparent weight of a wine in your mouth (light, medium, or full)
  3. Crisp: A wine with refreshing acidity
  4. Dry: Not sweet
  5. Finish: The impression a wine leaves as you swallow it
  6. Flavor intensity: How strong or weak a wine’s flavors are
  7. Fruity: A wine whose aromas and flavors suggest fruit; doesn’t imply sweetness
  8. Oaky: A wine that has oak flavors (smoky, toasty)
  9. Soft: A wine that has a smooth rather than crisp mouthfeel
  10. Tannic: A red wine that is firm and leaves the mouth feeling dry

Easy Wine Identifier


Most wines you discover in outlets and restaurants are named in 2 basic ways: for the range of the grape or for the place the grapes are fully grown. This instant guide decodes common wine names and tells you the wine’s color.
Wine Name Grape or Place Wine Color
  1. Barbera Grape Red.
  2. Bardolino Place/Italy Red
  3. Barolo Place/Italy Red
  4. Beaujolais Place/France Red
  5. Bordeaux Place/France Red or white
  6. Burgundy (Bourgogne) Place/France Red or white
  7. Cabernet Sauvignon Grape Red
  8. Chablis Place/France White
  9. Champagne Place/France White or rosé
  10. Chardonnay Grape White
  11. Chianti Place/Italy Red
  12. Côtes du Rhône Place/France Red or white
  13. olcetto Grape Red
  14. Merlot Grape Red
  15. Mosel Place/Germany White
  16. Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris Grape White
  17. Pinot Noir Grape Red
  18. Port (Porto) Place/Portugal Red (fortified)
  19. Pouilly-Fuissé Place/France White
  20. Rhine (Rheingau, Rheinhessen) Place/Germany White
  21. Riesling Grape White
  22. Rioja Place/Spain Red or white
  23. Sancerre Place/France White
  24. Sauternes Place/France White (dessert)
  25. Sauvignon Blanc Grape White
  26. Sherry Place/Spain White (fortified)
  27. Soave Place/Italy White
  28. Syrah/Shiraz Grape Red
  29. Valpolicella Place/Italy Red
  30. Viognier Grape White
  31. Zinfandel Grape Red or pink