How to pronounce Sangiovese

What is Sangiovese?

A black grape variety from Italy producing wines with high acidity and flavors of cherry and tomato.

Sangiovese is a black grape and the most widely planted red variety in Italy. Its home is central Italy, above all Tuscany, and it is also widely grown in Emilia-Romagna. The name is usually traced to the Latin sanguis Jovis, blood of Jupiter. A 2004 DNA study pointed to Ciliegiolo and Calabrese Montenuovo as its parents, though some wine texts describe Ciliegiolo as an offspring instead.

The wines are typically fairly light in color for a red, with high acidity and moderate to high tannin. Sour red cherry is the usual marker, along with earthy and tea-leaf notes. Oak aging adds darker, tarry tones.

Many bottles do not name the grape. Chianti and Chianti Classico are based on Sangiovese. Brunello di Montalcino is made entirely from it, and Brunello was once the local name for the grape there. In Vino Nobile di Montepulciano it is called Prugnolo Gentile, in Morellino di Scansano it is Morellino, and in Corsica it is Nielluccio.

Sangiovese, syllable by syllable

Why Sangiovese is hard to say

In Italian, g is soft, like English j, before e and i. To get that soft sound before a, o or u, Italian writes gi, and the i is only a spelling signal. So gio is joh, not jee-oh. The same rule gives the joh in Pinot Grigio, and its twin, ci for a ch sound, gives the CHOH in Recioto.

Italian has no silent final e. Every vowel written at the end of a word is sounded, as in Amarone and Soave. Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, which is why VAY carries the beat. A single s between two vowels is voiced, like z, in northern Italy, while speakers in Tuscany and the south often use a plain s in this ending, so san-joh-VAY-seh is equally standard.

Other accepted pronunciations

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

• san-joh-VAY-zee — Established English form.
• san-joh-VAY-seh — Tuscan/standard voiceless s in -ese.

Tips for saying it

How to order Sangiovese

In an English-speaking restaurant or shop, the established English form san-joh-VAY-zee is completely fine and is the form Collins English Dictionary lists. The Italian form san-joh-VAY-zay fits well in Italy or at a tasting. If the list is organized by place, asking for a Chianti or a Rosso di Montalcino gets you the same grape.

• “Could I have a glass of the Sangiovese, please?”
• “Is this Chianti all Sangiovese, or is it a blend?” Chianti rules allow other red grapes alongside Sangiovese.

Names often confused with Sangiovese

• Chianti (kee-AHN-tee): A Tuscan wine region, not a grape; its red wines are based on Sangiovese, so the two words often get used as if they meant the same thing.
• Brunello di Montalcino (broo-NEL-loh dee mon-tahl-CHEE-noh): A Tuscan wine made entirely from Sangiovese, named for the grape's old local name and the town of Montalcino.
• Montepulciano (mon-teh-pool-CHAH-noh): A different grape, grown in Abruzzo; it shares its name with the Tuscan town whose Vino Nobile is made mainly from Sangiovese.
• Nebbiolo (neb-BYOH-loh): The grape of Barolo in Piedmont, also high in acidity and tannin, and often compared with Sangiovese.

Questions about pronouncing Sangiovese

How do you pronounce Sangiovese?

In Italian, Sangiovese is pronounced san-joh-VAY-zay, with four syllables, a soft g like the j in jam, and the stress on the third syllable, VAY. In English it is commonly said san-joh-VAY-zee, which is also accepted.

Is it san-joh-VAY-zay or san-jee-oh-VAY-zay?

The native form is san-joh-VAY-zay. In Italian the i in gio only tells you the g is soft, so gio is a single syllable, joh. The longer san-jee-oh-VAY-zay is often heard from English speakers reading every letter.

Is the final e silent in Sangiovese?

No. Italian sounds every final vowel, so the word ends in a short ay, san-joh-VAY-zay. English speakers usually turn that last vowel into ee, san-joh-VAY-zee, and Collins English Dictionary lists that as the British English pronunciation.

What does Sangiovese mean?

The name is usually traced to the Latin sanguis Jovis, which means blood of Jupiter. One legend credits monks from Santarcangelo di Romagna with the name. On a label it simply tells you the grape the wine is made from.

What is the difference between Sangiovese and Chianti?

Sangiovese is a grape and Chianti is a place. Chianti is a wine region in Tuscany whose red wines are based on Sangiovese, sometimes blended with other red grapes. A bottle labeled Sangiovese can come from anywhere the grape is grown, including Romagna, California and Argentina.

Sources: Wikipedia: Sangiovese, Dictionary.com: Sangiovese, Wikipedia: Brunello di Montalcino, Wikipedia: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.