How to pronounce Pinot Noir

What is Pinot Noir?

A black grape variety producing elegant red wines with delicate tannins and flavors of red cherry and earth.

Pinot Noir is a black-skinned grape whose home is Burgundy in eastern France, including the Côte d'Or. The name joins the French words for pine and black. The pine part is thought to refer to its tight bunches, which are shaped like pine cones.

In Burgundy it covers about a third of the vineyard area and is the grape behind most of the region's red wines. Those bottles are labeled by place, so the words Pinot Noir often do not appear on the front. It is also planted in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Italy and South Africa.

The wines are usually medium in body, paler than most reds, and low in tannin, so they feel soft. Young examples smell of red fruit such as cherry, raspberry and strawberry. With age they can develop more vegetal aromas, sometimes described as barnyard.

Pinot Noir is also grown in Champagne, where it is usually blended with Chardonnay and Meunier. Its juice is clear, so it can make white sparkling wine, which may be labeled Blanc de Noirs. In Germany the same grape is called Spätburgunder and in Italy Pinot Nero.

Pinot Noir, syllable by syllable

Why Pinot Noir is hard to say

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

The letters oi in French are said wa. That turns Noir into nwar, and it works the same way in Loire (LWAHR). A French i that is not part of a pair such as oi or in is ee, never eye, which is why Pinot starts with PEE. French also puts the weight at the end of a phrase, so lean on Noir.

Tips for saying it

How to order Pinot Noir

Say both words at a steady pace: PEE-noh NWAR. Shortening it to Pinot is common, but that can also mean Pinot Grigio, so add Noir if there is any doubt. You do not need a French r. An English r at the end of Noir, or the British ending close to nwah, is standard and accepted.

• “Could I have a glass of the Pinot Noir, please?”
• “Do you have a Pinot Noir from Oregon or New Zealand?”
• “Is this red Burgundy made from Pinot Noir?” Useful when the label shows only a place name.

Names often confused with Pinot Noir

• Pinot Grigio (PEE-noh GREE-joh): The Italian name for Pinot Gris, a color mutation in the Pinot family that makes white wine; the first word is said the same way.
• Burgundy (BUR-gun-dee): The French region Pinot Noir comes from; a red Burgundy is usually Pinot Noir even when the label does not say so.
• Pinotage (PIN-oh-tahj): A South African grape bred in 1925 by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsaut; a different variety and a different sound.

Questions about pronouncing Pinot Noir

How do you pronounce Pinot Noir?

Pinot Noir is pronounced PEE-noh NWAR. Pinot has two syllables with a silent t, and Noir is a single syllable that sounds like nwar. The main weight of the phrase falls on Noir.

Is the t silent in Pinot Noir?

Yes. In French the final t of Pinot is not sounded, so the word ends in an open o: PEE-noh. English keeps the t silent too. The same goes for Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.

How do you pronounce Pinot Noir in American and British English?

English dictionaries keep close to the French: PEE-noh NWAR, with the first syllable said as pea. American entries sound the final r. The British entry shows no r, which gives an ending close to nwah. Both are standard and accepted.

What does Pinot Noir mean?

The name comes from the French words for pine and black. Pine is thought to describe the grape's small, tightly packed bunches, which look like pine cones, and black refers to the dark skin of the berries.

Is red Burgundy the same as Pinot Noir?

Red Burgundy is wine from the Burgundy region of France, and Pinot Noir is the grape most of it is made from; a smaller share uses Gamay. Burgundy labels name the place instead of the grape, so a bottle can be Pinot Noir without saying so.

Sources: Wikipedia: Pinot noir, Bourgogne Wines: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the Bourgogne region's two noble grape varietals, Wikipedia: Burgundy wine, Dictionary.com: Pinot Noir. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.