HOW TO PRONOUNCE
Spanish wine words look approachable but hide two sounds English doesn't use the same way: the “j” (and soft “g”) is a throaty “h”, and “ll” becomes a “y”. Get those two right and the rest reads much as it's spelled.
THE ONE RULE
The “j” is a throaty h and “ll” is a y — Rioja is “ree-OH-hah”.
6 Spanish words · 2 grapes · 3 regions · 1 styles & terms
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The Spanish 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.
Where the wine is from — the places on the label.
Sparkling styles and the cellar vocabulary you'll hear.
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 guideThe “j” is a throaty h and “ll” is a y — Rioja is “ree-OH-hah”. This guide covers 6 Spanish grape, region, and cellar words, each with a plain-English respelling and the stressed syllable in CAPITALS.
Albariño, Rías Baixas and Rioja trip people up most. Albariño, for example, is said "al-bah-REE-nyoh", with the emphasis on "REE" — the spelling doesn't map onto the Spanish 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