How to pronounce Sauvignon Blanc

What is Sauvignon Blanc?

A white grape variety known for producing crisp wines with high acidity and flavors of gooseberry and grass.

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape from France. It most likely originated in the Loire Valley and has long been grown in Bordeaux. The name is thought to come from the French sauvage, wild, plus blanc, white. In 1996, DNA research at UC Davis showed that Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc are the parents of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine is usually dry, with high acidity and strong aromas. Cooler regions give green, grassy notes and gooseberry. Warmer regions lean toward tropical fruit. Most bottles are meant to be drunk young, though some oak-aged examples from Bordeaux and the Loire can age.

Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé are Loire wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, and white Bordeaux often blends it with Sémillon, as does sweet Sauternes. Marlborough is New Zealand's largest Sauvignon Blanc region; its first Sauvignon Blanc vines were planted in 1975. In California, Fumé Blanc is a name Robert Mondavi introduced in 1968.

Sauvignon Blanc, syllable by syllable

Why Sauvignon Blanc is hard to say

French spelling hides two sounds here. The letters gn stand for a single ny sound, the same one in canyon or lasagna, so Sauvignon has no hard g. You meet the same rule in Champagne (shahm-PAHN-yuh), Bourgogne and Cabernet Sauvignon.

A vowel followed by n or m, at the end of a word or before another consonant, becomes a nasal vowel in French: the n colors the vowel and is not sounded on its own. That covers the on of Sauvignon and the an of Blanc. The final c of Blanc is silent too. Chenin Blanc and Blanc de Blancs work the same way. French puts the stress at the end of the phrase, which makes Blanc the strong beat.

Other accepted pronunciations

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

• SOH-vin-yohn BLAHNK — Established English form with audible k.
• SOH-vin-yohn BLAHNG — Established English form ends Sauvignon in a plain n.

Tips for saying it

How to order Sauvignon Blanc

In an English-speaking restaurant or shop, the established English form SOH-vin-yohn BLAHNK, with an audible k, is accepted and is listed in dictionaries. The French form so-vin-yawn BLAHNG fits well in France or at a tasting. Many people shorten it to Sauvignon, or to Sauv Blanc in casual speech.

• “Could I have a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc, please?”
• “Do you have a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough or the Loire?” Naming a region tells the server which style you like.

Names often confused with Sauvignon Blanc

• Cabernet Sauvignon (kab-er-NAY so-vin-YAWN): A red grape that shares the word Sauvignon because Sauvignon Blanc is one of its parents; here the stress falls on Sauvignon itself.
• Sancerre (sahn-SAIR): A Loire appellation whose white wine is Sauvignon Blanc, though the label shows the place and not the grape.
• Pouilly-Fumé (poo-yee foo-MAY): Another Loire Sauvignon Blanc, and the source of the California name Fumé Blanc.
• Chenin Blanc (SHEN-in BLAHNG): A different white Loire grape whose name ends in the same word, Blanc, said the same way.

Questions about pronouncing Sauvignon Blanc

How do you pronounce Sauvignon Blanc?

In French, Sauvignon Blanc is pronounced so-vin-yawn BLAHNG, with a ny sound for the gn, a nasal vowel at the end of each word and the stress on Blanc. In English it is commonly said SOH-vin-yohn BLAHNK, which is also accepted.

Is the c silent in Sauvignon Blanc?

In French, yes. Blanc ends in a nasal vowel and the c is not sounded, giving BLAHNG. In English the established form sounds the k, BLAHNK, and Dictionary.com lists that form in both its American and British entries. Both are accepted.

Is the g silent in Sauvignon?

The g is not sounded as a hard g. In French the letters gn together make a ny sound, like the ny in canyon, so the word runs so-vin-yawn. The same thing happens in Champagne and Cabernet Sauvignon.

What does Sauvignon Blanc mean?

Blanc is French for white, and Sauvignon is thought to come from sauvage, meaning wild. The name is usually explained as wild white, possibly a reference to the grape's early history as a native vine in France. The origin of Sauvignon is not certain.

What is the difference between Sauvignon Blanc and Fumé Blanc?

They are the same grape. Fumé Blanc is a name Robert Mondavi gave his California Sauvignon Blanc in 1968, borrowing from the Loire wine Pouilly-Fumé. Both names appear on American labels, and Fumé Blanc on its own does not tell you the style of the wine.

Sources: Dictionary.com: Sauvignon Blanc, Wikipedia: Sauvignon blanc, New Zealand Wine: Sauvignon Blanc, Wikipedia: Cabernet Sauvignon. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.