We are looking at how to pronounce, with a genuine French accent the name of the most famous of all sparkling wines in the world, perhaps the most famous of all wine types in fact: Champagne.
We are looking at why you should stop pronouncing it like so many do: Champaign.
What is Champagne?
First, you must know that the word Champagne corresponds to a style of wine, but before that Champagne is a wine region in France, not far from Paris, just about an hour to an hour and a half outside of the French capital city.
Champagne is a very protected word that cannot be used for anything else than for French sparkling wine made using a specific winemaking method in the Champagne wine region of France itself. Anything else called Champagne is considered a fraud or a fake. Champagne is like a trademark if you wish.
There are only a handful of wineries outside of France’s Champagne region who use the term Champagne on their label, and they’re mainly in California where you might find the term California Champagne.
Hear How to Pronounce Champagne in Video
So how do you pronounce this protected trademark of a French wine name?
As far as English-speaking countries are concerned, there is mainly going to be two pronunciations.
The American or British pronunciation of it, which is pretty much the same thing: Champagne.
You’ll hear many pop songs or rap songs using the word Champagne, like Meghan Trainor’s famous ‘Champagne Problems’.
Now of course this pronunciation is perfectly fine. You can use it and say Champagne like everyone does. My only problem with it, and perhaps this is because I am French, is that I find it a shame there is the sound Pain in Champagne. So if you want to associate Champagne with pleasure rather than pain, you can use the French-sounding pronunciation which is Champagne. ChamPAgne.
For the absolutely typical French pronunciation, like the French would say it in a café in Paris for example, say: Champagne.
‘A Glass of Champagne s’il vous plait.’
If you enjoyed this article and these video, I suggest you stick around my YouTube Channel and watch how to pronounce Moet & Chandon, and why you should say it this way, because it’s really one Champagne wine you should know the correct pronunciation off.
Pronounce the Most Popular & famous Champagnes Correctly
Here are the genuine pronunciation tutorials with audio, voiced by French winemaker Julien, Founder of this very award-winning wine blog Social Vignerons to guide you through saying the main brand of Champagne correctly:
Top 100 Most-Popular/Famous Champagne Wines & Brands
Here are some of the most thought-after cuvées of French Champagne wine in the world, with links to wine reviews, articles and/or videos and tasting notes when available:
Dom Pérignon Brut Vintage Champagne
Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Vintage
Krug Brut Champagne
Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs
Moet & Chandon Brut Impérial Champagne
Dom Perignon Rosé
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
Bollinger La Grande Année
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Champagne
Krug Clos du Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut
Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Brut
Dom Perignon P2 Plenitude Brut
Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque (formerly Fleur de Champagne Brut)
Bollinger R.D. Extra Brut
Dom Perignon P3 Plenitude Brut
Pol Roger Brut
Louis Roederer Cristal Brut Rosé
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame
Dom Perignon Oenothèque
Taittinger Brut, Champagne
Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru Brut Champagne
Louis Roederer Brut, Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Rare Brut Millésime
Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut
Laurent-Perrier Brut Champagne
Krug Collection Brut Champagne
Charles Heidsieck Brut Champagne
Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut Vintage
Jacques Selosse Grand Cru Millésime
Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut
G.H. Mumm Cordon Rouge Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne
Dom Pérignon Luminous Collection
Krug Clos d’Ambonnay Blanc de Noirs
Bollinger La Grande Annee Brut James Bond 007 Edition
Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises Blanc de Noirs
Perrier-Jouet Brut Champagne France
Delamotte Blanc de Blancs
Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires
Billecart-Salmon Brut Reserve
Pierre Peters Cuvee Speciale ‘Les Chetillons’ Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Andre Clouet Dream Vintage
Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Gold Brut
Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque (Fleur de Champagne) Brut Rosé
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut Rosé
Jacques Selosse Initial Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut
Lanson Brut Champagne
Pommery Cuvée Louise Brut
Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial/Vintage Rosé
Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle
Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Pommery Brut
Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Nicolas-Francois Billecart Vintage Champagne
Laurent-Perrier Cuvee Rosé
Dom Perignon P3 Plenitude Brut Rosé
Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut Rosé
Bollinger La Grande Annee Rosé
Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
Amour de Deutz Blanc de Blancs
Deutz Brut
Henriot Brut
Louis Roederer Brut Rosé
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne
Dom Ruinart Rosé Vintage Champagne
Barons de Rothschild Brut Champagne
Henri Giraud Fut de Chene MV Ay Grand Cru
Krug Grande Cuvee 164ème Edition
Krug Grande Cuvee 167ème Edition
Delamotte Brut
Dom Perignon Brut Chef de Cave Legacy Edition
Le Chemin du Roi Brut Rosé
Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvee Palmes d’Or Brut
Jacques Selosse Brut Rosé
Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs Brut
Laurent-Perrier Alexandra Grande Cuvée Rosé
Duval-Leroy Brut
Heidsieck & Co Monopole Gold Top
Dom Perignon P2 Plenitude Brut Rosé
Ruinart R de Ruinart Brut
Boerl & Kroff Brut
Vilmart & Cie Coeur de Cuvée Premier Cru
Pierre Peters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
Deutz Cuvée William Deutz Brut
Dom Perignon Andy Warhol Tribute Collection
Moet & Chandon 150th Anniversary Impérial Brut
Jerome Prevost La Closerie Les Beguines,
Krug Grande Cuvee 166 eme Edition Brut
Drappier Carte d’Or Champagne
Deutz Rosé
Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs
Louis Roederer et Philippe Starck Brut Nature Millésime
Gosset Grand Millesime Brut
Gosset Celebris Extra
Ulysse Collin Les Maillons Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut
Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial
Pol Roger Brut Rosé
Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Blanc de Noirs
Armand de Brignac Ace of Spades Blanc de Blancs
Henriot Cuvée des Enchanteleurs
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