How to pronounce Mourvèdre

What is Mourvèdre?

A black grape variety producing full-bodied, tannic red wines with dark fruit and savory, gamey notes, also known as Monastrell in Spain and Mataro.

Mourvèdre is a black-skinned wine grape that most historians believe came from eastern Spain. The French name is thought to come from Murviedro, an old name for the town of Sagunto near Valencia. Mataro, the name long used in Australia and California, points to the town of Mataró near Barcelona. In Spain the grape is called Monastrell.

The grape ripens late and needs a lot of heat, so it grows close to the Mediterranean. In Spain it is a leading red grape in Jumilla, Yecla and Alicante. In France its stronghold is Bandol, on the Provence coast, where red wines must contain at least 50 percent Mourvèdre. It is also one of the permitted grapes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The wines are dark, tannic and often high in alcohol, with blackberry fruit and earthy or gamey notes that some tasters describe as meaty. Mourvèdre is the M in GSM, a blend with Grenache and Syrah that is made in the southern Rhône, Australia and California. If a label says Monastrell or Mataro, the grape in the bottle is the same one.

Mourvèdre, syllable by syllable

Why Mourvèdre is hard to say

The grave accent on è marks an open "eh", the vowel of "bed". The "ay" of "day" is the nearest English match for a different letter, é with the acute accent. Carmenère has the same open vowel in its last syllable. The letters ou stand for a plain "oo" in French, as in Vouvray and Bourgogne, so the first syllable is "moor".

A final e without an accent is silent in French, so -dre is only the two consonants d and r, said together. English has no words that end this way, which is why a small vowel often gets added: moor-VED-ruh. French speakers sometimes release a faint vowel there too. The word noble in pourriture noble closes on a bare bl in the same way. French puts its light stress on the last full syllable, here VEDR.

Other accepted pronunciations

These are also correct, and Vinolingo scores them as correct:

• moor-VED-ruh — Established English form, with a light uh after the r.
• mor-VED-ruh — Established British English form.

Tips for saying it

How to order Mourvèdre

On a wine list the grape may hide behind a place name such as Bandol, or behind its Spanish name, Monastrell. Say moor-VEDR and let the ending fade out. The English form moor-VED-ruh, the one English dictionaries give, is fine in any shop or tasting room. With a GSM blend, most people simply say the three letters.

• “Do you have a Mourvèdre by the glass?” Weight on the second beat: VEDR.
• “Is this blend mostly Grenache or mostly Mourvèdre?” Useful with GSM blends, where the proportions change the style.

Names often confused with Mourvèdre

• Grenache (greh-NAHSH): The G in GSM; it brings red fruit and warmth, where Mourvèdre brings tannin and dark, savory notes.
• Syrah (see-RAH): The S in GSM; it adds pepper and dark fruit to the blend.
• Carmenère (kar-men-AIR): Another French grape name with è as an open "eh" and a silent final e.

Questions about pronouncing Mourvèdre

How do you pronounce Mourvèdre?

Mourvèdre is pronounced moor-VEDR. It has two beats with the stress on the second. The è is an open "eh" as in "bed", and the final e is silent, so the word ends on a light d and r.

Is it moor-VED-ruh or moor-VEDR?

Both are accepted. The native French form is moor-VEDR, ending on the consonants d and r with no vowel after them. English dictionaries give moor-VED-ruh, with a short "uh" at the end, and British English also has mor-VED-ruh. Some speakers shorten it further to something close to more-VED.

Is the final e silent in Mourvèdre?

Yes. An unaccented e at the end of a French word is not sounded. Only the è in the middle carries a vowel, the open "eh" of "bed". So the ending -dre is just d and r, sometimes followed by a faint vowel in natural speech.

Are Mourvèdre, Monastrell and Mataro the same grape?

Yes. Mourvèdre is the French name, Monastrell is the name used in Spain, and Mataro is a name long used in Australia and California. The grape is the same, though the wines differ with climate and winemaking.

What does Mourvèdre taste like?

Mourvèdre makes dark, full-bodied red wine with firm tannins and fairly high alcohol. Typical notes are blackberry and other dark fruit with an earthy, gamey or meaty side. Young wines can taste stern and usually soften with a few years in bottle. It is also used for rosé, notably in Bandol.

Sources: Wikipedia: Mourvèdre, Wiktionnaire: mourvèdre, Wine Spectator: How do you pronounce "Mourvèdre"?, Oxford English Dictionary: Mourvedre. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.