How to pronounce Merlot

What is Merlot?

A black grape variety producing medium to full-bodied red wines with soft tannins and flavors of plum and chocolate.

Merlot is a black-skinned grape from the Bordeaux region of southwest France. The name is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French word for blackbird, probably a reference to the dark color of the berries. The earliest known record, spelled Merlau, dates from 1784 in the Libourne area.

DNA research has shown that Merlot is an offspring of Cabernet Franc and a little-known variety called Magdeleine Noire des Charentes. In Bordeaux it accounts for about two thirds of the red grape plantings, according to the Bordeaux wine council. It leads the blends on the Right Bank, in Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, and plays a supporting role next to Cabernet Sauvignon in the Médoc.

The wines are medium to full in body, with soft tannins and a fleshy feel. Cooler sites give red fruit, plum and a hint of cedar. Warmer sites give black cherry, black plum and chocolate notes. Merlot ripens up to two weeks earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon, which is one reason the two are so often blended.

Outside France it is widely grown in Italy, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, California, Washington State and Australia. Bordeaux bottles are labeled by place, so a Pomerol or Saint-Émilion is usually mostly Merlot even when the grape is not named on the front.

Merlot, syllable by syllable

Why Merlot is hard to say

French usually leaves a final consonant unsounded. The t of Merlot is on the page but not in the mouth, so the word ends on an open o. The same rule gives you Pinot (PEE-noh) and Cabernet (kab-er-NAY). When a French wine name ends in t, d, s or x, try it first without that last letter.

English tends to stress the first syllable of a two-syllable noun, while French puts the weight on the last syllable of a word or phrase. That is why the native form leans on LOH, as Bordeaux (bor-DOH) and Syrah (see-RAH) lean on their endings. The French r is made at the back of the throat, but an English r is understood everywhere.

Tips for saying it

How to order Merlot

On a wine list, say mer-LOH and let the word finish on the oh. In American English the first syllable is often heard as mur, and British dictionaries put the weight up front, MUR-loh. Both are standard English forms and will be understood. The t stays silent in all of them.

• “Could I have a glass of the Merlot, please?”
• “Do you have a Merlot from Washington State or Chile?”
• “Is this Saint-Émilion mostly Merlot?” Useful when the label shows only a place name.

Names often confused with Merlot

• Cabernet Sauvignon (kab-er-NAY so-vin-YAWN): Merlot's usual blending partner in Bordeaux; it ripens later and gives firmer tannins, and its first word also ends in a silent t.
• Pomerol (poh-muh-ROL): A Right Bank Bordeaux appellation where Merlot makes up most of the blend; here the final l is sounded.
• Carmenère (kar-men-AIR): Another Bordeaux grape and a relative of Merlot; much Chilean wine sold as Merlot until the 1990s turned out to be Carmenère.
• Malbec (mal-BEK): A related grape from southwest France; unlike the t of Merlot, its final c is sounded.

Questions about pronouncing Merlot

How do you pronounce Merlot?

Merlot is pronounced mer-LOH. It has two syllables, the weight falls on the second, and the final t is silent, so the word ends on a clean oh sound, like low.

Is the t silent in Merlot?

Yes. Merlot is a French word, and French usually does not sound a final t. The word ends in an open o: mer-LOH. English dictionaries keep the t silent too, in both American and British use.

How do you pronounce Merlot in American and British English?

American dictionaries list mur-LOH and mer-LOH, close to the French, and also MUR-loh with the weight up front. British dictionaries give MUR-loh. All of these are established English forms, and none of them sounds the t.

What does Merlot mean?

The name is thought to come from merle, the French word for blackbird, with an ending that makes it a diminutive. It probably refers to the blue-black color of the grapes.

What is the difference between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon?

Both are black grapes from Bordeaux and are often blended together. Merlot ripens earlier and gives softer, fleshier wines with plum and chocolate notes. Cabernet Sauvignon ripens later and brings firmer tannins. Merlot leads on the Right Bank, Cabernet Sauvignon in the Médoc.

Sources: Wikipedia: Merlot, Bordeaux Wine Council: Grape varieties, Dictionary.com: merlot, Wiktionary: Merlot. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.