Just listened. It was worth every bit of the 50 minutes. One tidbit that jumped out for me was the origin of varietal names in Chinese. As a native speaker, I had been dumbfounded when hearing those names initially. They are poetically beautiful and conjure imagery, and bear little semblance to the original (mostly English) names, nor to viticulture. (on that note, I don’t know about the etymology of the orignal either).
Hearing from Zhu that many of these translations were credited to the first successful Chinese winemaker in 1892 was an inspiration. And I have to feed my curiosity and turned to Gemini. Sharing the findings here:
| Traditional Chinese | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin Guide | English Phonetic Guide | Literal Meaning | Historical / Modern Context | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RED GRAPES | ||||||
| Cabernet Sauvignon | 赤霞珠 卡本內蘇維濃 | 赤霞珠 卡本内苏维浓 | Chìxiázhū Kǎběinnèi Sūwéinóng | Chee-shyah-joo Kah-buhn-nay Soo-way-noong | Crimson Sunset Pearl Purely Phonetic | Historic/Modern Poetic: The mainland standard since 1892, celebrated for its imagery. Regional Phonetic: The standard in Taiwan and Hong Kong, favoring pure sound imitation. |
| Cabernet Franc | 品麗珠 | 品丽珠 | Pǐnlìzhū | Peen-lee-joo | Tasting Elegant Pearl | Historic Poetic: Coined alongside Cabernet Sauvignon at Changyu. ‘Pin’ captures the elegance of tasting, while ‘Zhu’ maintains the family connection. |
| Carmenère | 蛇龍珠 | 蛇龙珠 | Shélóngzhū | Shuh-loong-joo | Snake Dragon Pearl | Historic Poetic: A unique Chinese clone of Carmenère. Given a powerful, mythical name by early viticulturists, it is now considered an indigenous flagship style for older Chinese estates. |
| Merlot | 美樂 梅洛 | 美乐 梅洛 | Měilè Méiluò | May-luh May-luoh | Beautiful Joy Falling Plum | Historic Poetic: Měilè was the early phonosemantic favorite, linking the sound to happiness. Modern Standard: Méiluò is the dominant modern international standard, leaning closer to the French pronunciation. |
| Pinot Noir | 黑品樂 黑皮諾 | 黑品乐 黑皮诺 | Hēipǐnlè Hēipínuò | Hey-peen-luh Hey-pee-nuoh | Black Noble Joy Black Skin ‘Nuo’ | Historic Poetic: Hēipǐnlè was used early on to denote a ‘noble, joyful’ black grape. Modern Standard: Hēipínuò is the uncontested modern standard, combining ‘Black’ (Hei) with a strict phonetic match for ‘Pinot’. |
| Zinfandel | 仙粉黛 | 仙粉黛 | Xiānfěndài | Syan-fuhn-dye | Celestial/Fairy Powder Ribbon | Modern Poetic: A masterclass in modern translation. Dài refers to the historic black eyebrow pigment used by classical Chinese beauties, giving this bold red grape an incredibly romantic, feminine aura. |
| Tempranillo | 丹魄 | 丹魄 | Dānpò | Dahn-pwoh | Crimson Soul / Red Essence | Modern Poetic: A highly successful modern translation. Dān means deep red/sincerity, and Pò means soul. It beautifully mimics the ‘pran’ syllable of the Spanish name while evoking profound depth. |
| Syrah / Shiraz | 西拉 設拉子 | 西拉 设拉子 | Xīlā Shèlāzǐ | Shee-lah Shuh-lah-dzuh | Western Pull Shiraz (Phonetic) | Modern Standard: Unlike the older varietals, Syrah arrived late to the Chinese market. These are highly accurate, functional phonetic translations—Xīlā is used for French style, Shèlāzǐ for Australian style. |
| Gamay | 佳美 | 佳美 | Jiāměi | Jyah-may | Excellent Beauty | Historic Poetic: A classic phonosemantic translation. It sounds exactly like ‘Gamay’ while capturing the light, approachable, and beautiful nature of Beaujolais wine. |
| WHITE GRAPE | ||||||
| Chardonnay | 霞多麗 莎當妮 | 霞多丽 莎当妮 | Xiāduōlì Shādāngnī | Shyah-dwoh-lee Shah-dahng-nee | Abundant Sunset Splendor Sedge-grass Target Girl | Modern Poetic: Xiāduōlì is the beautifully poetic standard used across mainland China. Regional Phonetic: Shādāngnī is the older, localized phonetic variant still widely seen on wine menus in Hong Kong. |
| Sauvignon Blanc | 長相思 白蘇維濃 | 长相思 白苏维浓 | Chángxiāngsī Bái Sūwéinóng | Chahng-shyang-syr Bye Soo-way-noong | Eternal Yearning / Endless Longing White Sauvignon | Modern Poetic: Chángxiāngsī borrows the name of a famous classical poetic rhythm (Cipai). It perfectly captures the lingering finish of the wine. Regional Phonetic: Bái Sūwéinóng is favored in Taiwan/HK for technical literal accuracy. |
| Gewürztraminer | 瓊瑤漿 | 琼瑶浆 | Qióngyáojiāng | Chyoong-yaow-jyang | Jade Nectar / Elixir of the Immortals | Historic/Modern Poetic: Universally praised as the greatest semantic wine translation. Translators skipped the complex German pronunciation entirely, naming it after the mythical nectar drunk by Taoist deities to match the wine’s intensely perfumed, exotic character. |
| Riesling | 雷司令 | 雷司令 | Léisīlìng | Lay-syr-leeng | Thunder Commander | Historic Poetic: One of the earliest Changyu-era translations. Though ‘Thunder Commander’ sounds incredibly intense and masculine for a crisp white wine, the authoritative name commands massive prestige in China. |
| Sémillon | 賽美蓉 | 赛美蓉 | Sàiměiróng | Sye-may-roong | Competing Beautiful Hibiscus | Historic Poetic: A flawless phonosemantic blend. Róng refers to the lotus/hibiscus flower, injecting elegant floral imagery into a name that sounds identical to the French original. |
| Pinot Gris / Grigio | 灰皮諾 灰品樂 | 灰皮诺 灰品乐 | Huīpínuò Huīpǐnlè | Hway-pee-nuoh Hway-peen-luh | Grey Skin ‘Nuo’ Grey Noble Joy | Modern Standard: Huīpínuò is the universal modern translation, substituting ‘Black’ (Hei) from Pinot Noir with ‘Grey’ (Hui). Historic Poetic: Huīpǐnlè mirrors the vintage Changyu naming system. |
| Muscat | 麝香葡萄 | 麝香葡萄 | Shèxiāng pútáo | Shuh-shyahng poo-taow | Musk Grape | Historic/Modern: A pure semantic translation. Because Muscat grapes are native to the ancient world and entered China centuries ago via the Silk Road, they skipped the modern naming era entirely and are named literally for their intense musk perfume. |