French Wine Pronunciation

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

• À la vôtre !
• Mettre de l'eau dans son vin
• Le nouveau est arrivé

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

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

• 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

• 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

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

• 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

at About.com Wine.