How many of the world’s leading Champagne, wine, beer or spirit brands are your pronouncing correctly?
For the third in our series of how to pronounce brands, we’re looking at famous alcohol brands.
Once again European names dominate the list, but there’s many other brands that are often mispronounced.
When it comes to Champagne, just about every brand is mispronounced outside of France.
Let’s start with Moët which is commonly mispronounced ‘Mo-ee’. Yes, it’s a French brand and founder, Claude Moët was born in France in 1683. However, his family has Dutch heritage, so it should be pronounced the Dutch way, ‘Mo’wett’.
As for most of the other Champagne brands, it really is about how well you can speak French.
Despite popular culture and Ab Fab references, Bollinger is not pronounced ‘Boll-in-jer’. The French pronunciation is more like ‘Bol-an-jey’.
After checking out several bars (all in the name of research of course), we have compiled a handy guide of alcohol brands that are often mispronounced.
Now, you can confidently order some of the world’s best drinkies and school a few bartenders. Just don’t get caught picking up the tab all the time!
Alcohol brands (Champagne, beer, wine and spirits) and their pronunciation (A-Z)
| Brand Name | Correct pronunciation | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Billiecart-Salmon | Beel-kahr Sal-moh | Bill-ee-cart Sal-mon |
| Bollinger | Bol-an-jey | Boll-in-jer |
| Chang | Chong | Chang |
| Chimay | Shee-may | Chim-ay |
| Cointreau | KWAN-troh | Coin-true |
| Curaçao | kyoor-uh-sow | Cure-ah-kay-0 |
| Deutz | Dirts | Doo-tz |
| Dom Perignon | Dom Peh-ree-nyon | Dom Peri-non |
| Duvel | DOO-vill | duh-VEL |
| Freixenet | Fresh-eh-net | Frix-ee-net or Fresh-eh-nay |
| Glenfiddich | Glen-fidd-ikh | Glen-fidd-itch |
| Glenmorangie | Glen-morr-en-jee | Glen-moran-gee |
| Grand Marnier | grahn mar-NYAY | Grand Marn-ier |
| Hoegaarden | Who-gar-den | ho-gar-den |
| Jägermeister | Ye-guh-mai-stuh | Yay-guh-mai-stuh |
| Killkenny | kill-KEH-nee | KILL-ken-ee |
| Krug | Krewg | K-rug |
| Lillet | Lee-lay | Lil-let |
| Louis Roederer | Loo-wee Row-ed-er-ey | Lou-is Roe-der-er |
| Moët & Chandon | Mo’wett eh Shan-dawn | Mo-ee or Mo-way |
| Mumm | Moom / Mewm | Mum |
| Piper-Heidsieck | Pee-pay Ed-sick | Pie-per Hide-seek |
| Pliny the Elder | Ply-nee The Elder | Pl-iny The Elder |
| Singha | sing | SING-ha |
| Stella Artois | Stel-lah Ar-twa | Stell-ah Ar-twahs |
| Tsingtao | Ching-dow | Sing-tao |
| Veuve Clicquot | Verv Kli-koh | Voov Klik-ot |
| Westvleteren 12 | Vest-Flayter-In | West-Vet-Air-In |
This list has been compiled from various sources, including representatives from the brands. In some cases, there are conflicting sources and we have opted for what is most commonly accepted.
If want to challenge any of the pronunciations, or suggest some more brands that are incorrectly pronounced, please contact us or leave a comment below and we’d be happy to update this list.
Want more? Check out how to pronounce leading Famous everyday brand names, Car brand names, and Luxury brand names.
Michael Hughes
Michael is Managing Partner and Strategy Director at Truly Deeply. His deep expertise is in unlocking the strategic power of your brand to create a differentiated, compelling and authentic brand proposition that will engage all your audiences and drive your business growth. Michael has extensive experience working with leading Australian and International organisations across just about every sector.