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Pronunciation guide

How to pronounce Burgundy wine names

Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) has the hardest wine list in the world to read aloud: village names with silent letters, hyphenated vineyards and a classification vocabulary of its own. This page covers the regions, villages, grapes and quality terms you will meet on a Burgundy label.

20 terms. Each has native audio, IPA, an easy respelling and the meaning on its own page.

Two rules carry most of the weight. First, the final consonant is usually silent: Meursault ends on “soh”, Pommard on “mar”, Chablis on “blee”, Gevrey-Chambertin on a nasal “tan”. Second, the stress goes on the last syllable of each word, so Puligny-Montrachet is poo-lee-NYEE mohn-rah-SHAY, not PULL-ig-nee MON-trash-et.

The quality terms are simpler than they look: Grand Cru is “grahn KROO”, Premier Cru is “pruh-mee-YAY KROO”. Beaujolais, at the southern end, uses the Gamay grape and its ten named villages are the Beaujolais Crus. The two main Burgundy grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, are included at the end.

  1. Burgundy BUR-gun-dee /ˈbɜːrɡəndi/ English · A major wine region in eastern France known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines with vineyard-specific terroir expression.
  2. Bourgogne boor-GON-yuh French · The French name for Burgundy, one of the most revered wine regions in the world, located in eastern France. Bourgogne AOC is the regional-level appellation producing red wines from Pinot Noir and white wines from Chardonnay, serving as an entry point to Burgundy's complex classification hierarchy.
  3. Chablis shah-BLEE /ʃaˈbli/ French · A wine region in northern Burgundy known for unoaked Chardonnay with mineral and citrus notes.
  4. Beaune BOHN French · A historic town in the Côte d'Or of Burgundy, France, considered the wine capital of the region. The appellation produces predominantly red wines from Pinot Noir, and hosts the famous Hospices de Beaune charity wine auction each November.
  5. Meursault mur-SOH /mœrˈso/ French · A village in Burgundy known for rich and buttery Chardonnay wines with nut flavors.
  6. Pommard poh-MAR /pɔˈmar/ French · A village in Burgundy known for structured and tannic Pinot Noir wines with dark fruit flavors.
  7. Puligny-Montrachet poo-lee-NYEE mohn-rah-SHAY /pyliˈɲi mɔ̃raˈʃɛ/ French · A prestigious village in Burgundy known for world-class Chardonnay wines with great finesse.
  8. Gevrey-Chambertin zhev-RAY shahm-ber-TAN /ʒɛvˈrɛ ʃɑ̃bɛrˈtɛ̃/ French · A prestigious village in Burgundy known for powerful and structured Pinot Noir wines.
  9. Nuits-Saint-Georges NWEE san ZHORZH /nɥi sɛ̃ ʒɔrʒ/ French · A village in Burgundy known for robust and earthy Pinot Noir wines.
  10. Mâcon mah-KOHN French · A large wine-producing area in the southern part of Burgundy, France, known for value-oriented Chardonnay. Mâcon wines offer approachable, fruit-forward whites with less complexity but more immediate appeal than their northern Burgundy counterparts, with Mâcon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuissé as notable appellations.
  11. Pouilly-Fuissé poo-yee fwee-SAY /puˈji fɥiˈse/ French · An appellation in southern Burgundy known for rich Chardonnay wines with stone fruit and mineral notes.
  12. Beaujolais boh-zhoh-LAY /boʒoˈlɛ/ French · A wine region in southern Burgundy known for light red wines made from Gamay using carbonic maceration.
  13. Beaujolais Villages boh-zhoh-LAY vee-LAZH French · An appellation in the northern part of the Beaujolais region in Burgundy, France, representing a step up in quality from basic Beaujolais. Made from Gamay grown on granite-rich hillsides, these wines offer more concentrated red and black fruit, greater structure, and better aging potential.
  14. Beaujolais crus boh-zhoh-LAY KROO French · The ten top-tier appellations within Beaujolais, each producing distinctive expressions of Gamay from specific terroirs. The crus include Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, and seven others, producing wines of greater concentration, complexity, and aging potential that can rival fine Burgundy.
  15. Fleurie fluh-REE French · One of the ten Beaujolais crus in the Burgundy region of France, often called the Queen of Beaujolais. Made from Gamay, it produces some of the most elegant and floral wines of the crus, with aromas of violet, rose petal, and red berries.
  16. Grand Cru grahn KROO /ɡʁɑ̃ kʁy/ French · Top-tier vineyard classification in Burgundy and Alsace indicating exceptional terroir.
  17. Premier Cru pruh-mee-YAY KROO /prəmje kʁy/ French · First growth vineyard classification in Burgundy indicating superior quality below Grand Cru.
  18. Pinot Noir PEE-noh NWAR /pino ˈnwaʁ/ French · A black grape variety producing elegant red wines with delicate tannins and flavors of red cherry and earth.
  19. Chardonnay shar-doh-NAY /ʃaʁdɔˈnɛ/ French · A white grape variety known for producing versatile wines ranging from crisp and mineral to rich and buttery.
  20. Gamay gah-MAY /ɡaˈmɛ/ French · A black grape variety from Beaujolais producing light wines with red fruit and banana notes.

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