How to pronounce Veuve Clicquot

What is Veuve Clicquot?

A Champagne house in Reims, France, founded in 1772 and named after the widow Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who ran it from 1805.

The name means “Widow Clicquot” in French.

Veuve Clicquot is a Champagne house based in Reims, in northeastern France. Philippe Clicquot founded the business in 1772. His son François died in 1805, and François's widow, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, born Ponsardin, took over at the age of 27. The house has carried her name since 1810 as Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, which means Widow Clicquot Ponsardin.

Madame Clicquot is credited with three firsts in Champagne. She made the first known vintage Champagne in 1810. In 1816 she devised the riddling table, a rack that turns and tilts bottles so the yeast sediment collects in the neck and can be removed. In 1818 she made the first known blended rosé Champagne by adding red wine from Bouzy.

The house's non-vintage Brut is called Yellow Label. The yellow label was registered as a trademark in 1877. The blend is led by Pinot Noir, with Chardonnay and Meunier. Brut on the label means the wine is dry. La Grande Dame, launched in 1972, is the house's prestige wine. The house has been part of the LVMH group since the group was formed in 1987.

Veuve Clicquot, syllable by syllable

Why Veuve Clicquot is hard to say

French eu is a rounded vowel that English does not have. Say the e of bed and round your lips, or use the vowel of fur without the r. That gives vuhv, not the oo of food. The eu of Meunier, one of the Champagne grapes, is a close relative of this sound. The final e of Veuve is silent and only lets the second v be heard.

In Clicquot, qu is a plain k with no w sound, as in the French word bouquet. The final t is silent, as in Merlot and Pinot, so the name ends on an open oh. French stress falls on the last full syllable, which puts the beat on KOH. English keeps the same shape and says vurv klee-KOH.

Other accepted pronunciations

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

• vurv klee-KOH — Established English form.

Tips for saying it

How to order Veuve Clicquot

In an English-speaking restaurant or shop, vurv klee-KOH is the usual form and is fine to use. Staff also hear the name shortened to Veuve or to Clicquot. If you want to match the French, round the vowel of Veuve and put the weight on the last syllable: vuhv klee-KOH.

• “Do you have Veuve Clicquot by the glass?”
• “We would like a bottle of the Veuve Clicquot Brut, please.” Brut is the dry style.
• “Is the Veuve Clicquot on your list the vintage or the non-vintage?”

Names often confused with Veuve Clicquot

• Champagne (shahm-PAHN-yuh): The region and the wine. Veuve Clicquot is one house among many that make it.
• Brut (BROOT): The dry style named on the yellow label. Unlike Clicquot, brut keeps its final t.
• Moët et Chandon (moh-ET ay shahn-DAWN): Another Champagne house in the same group. Here the final t of Moët is sounded, while the t of Clicquot is silent.
• Méthode traditionnelle (may-tohd trah-dee-see-oh-NEL): The bottle-fermentation process the house uses. Riddling is one of its steps.

Questions about pronouncing Veuve Clicquot

How do you pronounce Veuve Clicquot?

Veuve Clicquot is pronounced vuhv klee-KOH. Veuve is one syllable with a rounded vowel like the one in fur, and Clicquot is two syllables with the stress on the last. The qu is a k and the final t is silent.

Is the t silent in Clicquot?

Yes. In French the final t of Clicquot is not sounded, so the name ends on an open oh: klee-KOH. The English form also leaves the t silent. The qu in the middle is a plain k, with no w sound.

What does Veuve Clicquot mean?

Veuve is the French word for widow, so the name means Widow Clicquot. It refers to Barbe-Nicole Clicquot, born Ponsardin, who took over her husband's Champagne business in Reims after he died in 1805.

Is it voov or vuhv?

The native French form is vuhv, with the rounded eu vowel that sits close to the vowel of fur. The established English form is vurv, which is also accepted. The name is often heard as voov in English, which moves further from the French vowel but will still be understood.

How do you pronounce Veuve Clicquot in British and American English?

The English form is vurv klee-KOH, with the stress on the last syllable as in French. In accents that do not sound the r, vurv comes very close to the French vuhv. The final t stays silent in both British and American English.

Sources: Wikipedia: Veuve Clicquot, Wiktionary: veuve, Wikipedia: Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, Veuve Clicquot: Our history. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.