I had a botany professor in grad school who often talked about a colleague that he admired. He said this man made it his goal to know the names—scientific ones for him—of all the plants he encountered and to say it right. He thought it was the best way to get to know them.
If you know Latin, pronunciation isn’t difficult. After all, English is a Latin-based language. When it comes to wine, you might often find yourself treading some rough waters. French, Spanish, Italian, and all the others have their idiosyncrasies. And don’t get me started about dialects.
I have made it my mission to take the same care with pronouncing the names of wines. I want to say it right. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a gesture of respect.
You Say Grenache, and I Say Garnacha
Of course, it’d be a helluva lot easier if everyone used the same terms. You don’t have to delve too far into the wine world to stumble upon that fact.
Take Grenache, for example. That’s how we spell and say it here and in France. Spain prefers Garnacha or Garnatxa. And when in Italy, do as the Italians do and call it Cannonau. Sometimes, those names are quite telling.
Take Gouais Blanc, for instance. Not necessarily a name that rolls off the tongue, it is actually the Casanova of the grape world, partly responsible for over 80 varieties. You don’t usually see it as a varietal. It’s more of a blender, particularly with sparklers. Its name means “white donkey,” fitting for a grape for this purpose. (I like Casanova better, myself.)
Sometimes, wines are named for the variety. Other times, it’s the region, vineyard, or something made up by the vintner. But, there’s always a story.
I personally like the fact that some French wines don’t bother with putting any more info that the name of the Château and perhaps a sketch of one of the larger estates.
Learning How to Get It Right
If you’re not familiar with other languages, you can still pronounce the names like a pro. Google Translate is an excellent way to learn how to say it right. Another helpful source is the Wine & Spirit Education Trust‘s page on pronunciation.
While researching this article, I came across the usual roundup of web pages with their hints for getting it right. They had the common tongue twisters like Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and Gewurztraminer. I also found one talking about Shiraz.
I’m one of those people who have a thing about how to pronounce a short a for certain words. Saying cat with that aa sound works for them. However, for me, it’s data with an ah sound.
I’m reminded of the scene in Woody Allen’s movie, “Radio Days” when Mia Farrow’s character is taking diction lessons. So, imagine my surprise to learn that Australians pronounce Shiraz with the second syllable sounding like jazz instead of Shir-ahz. Okay, I give in. It’s Shir-azz.
Photo by Joel Holland on Unsplash
