HOW TO PRONOUNCE
German gives us a couple of the most-mangled wine words, but the rules are consistent: “w” is said like a “v”, “z” like “ts”, and “ie” is a long “ee” while “ei” is “eye”.
THE ONE RULE
“w” is a v and “ie” is a long ee — Riesling is “REES-ling”.
3 German words · 3 grapes · 0 regions · 0 styles & terms
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The German words that trip people up most
The stressed syllable is in CAPITALS. Tap any word for a syllable-by-syllable breakdown.
The grape names that trip people up at the wine list.
Each entry shows a plain-English respelling with the emphasised syllable in CAPITALS — no phonetic alphabet to decode. These are the widely-taught pronunciations an English speaker will be understood using; native French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese pronunciations vary, and stress is approximate. When in doubt, lean on the emphasised syllable and you'll be close. Last reviewed 2026-09-02.
Pronounce another language
The full pronunciation guide“w” is a v and “ie” is a long ee — Riesling is “REES-ling”. This guide covers 3 German grape, region, and cellar words, each with a plain-English respelling and the stressed syllable in CAPITALS.
Gewürztraminer, Grüner Veltliner and Riesling trip people up most. Gewürztraminer, for example, is said "guh-VOORTS-trah-mee-ner", with the emphasis on "VOORTS" — the spelling doesn't map onto the German sounds, so lean on the emphasised syllable.
Not really — staff and friends will know what you mean, and even wine professionals disagree on native versus anglicised readings. These respellings are simply the versions you'll be understood using; confidence beats perfection.
Know what to open tonight — and never miss a wine at its peak.
Add the bottles you're curious about and Saignée keeps your cellar, tracks each wine's drinking window, and helps you pair from what you own. Free Taster: up to 100 bottles — no card.
Free Taster: up to 100 bottles · 20 AI scans · 10 pairings / month
Free forever · No credit card