Moët & Chandon is one of the world’s largest champagne producers, and although they produce over 28 million bottles every year, there’s still a big debate about how to pronounce the name
Moët & Chandon, also known simply as Moët, is one of the most famous drinks in the world. It’s one of the world’s largest champagne producers, and was established in 1743 by Claude Moët. The company produces around 28 million bottles every year, and people love its dry, crisp taste and rich history.
However, despite its popularity, it seems many Champagne lovers have been pronouncing the name of the brand wrong this whole time.
Sinem, also known as The Sinfluencer, who posts online about mum life, shopping, travel and make up, recently shared the revelation on TikTok. In a post where her husband Ralph, who is from the Netherlands, featured, they discussed the correct pronounciation of the sparkling beverage.
They were asked by one of her 223k followers: “Could you both clear up the debate on how to pronounce Moët please?” Sinem explained: “Years ago a lot of us wanted to sound posh, or be posh, and go ‘Mo-way’. Could I have a glass of Mo-way? and then it changed and people started to say Mo-wett.”
However, Ralph, who Sinem has previously referred to as a wine expert, said: “It has never changed. There’s only one right way of saying it. Mo-wett et Chandon.”
Contrary to popular belief, there is no silent ‘t’ in the name. The confusion arises because many words in French drop the t. However, in French the general rule doesn’t apply to nouns such as names and Places.
Myreille Pawliez, senior lecturer in French at Victoria University, told Vinepair: “Proper nouns in French, which include names of people and places, don’t follow the general rule and because there are so many exceptions it can get confusing. In this case it is two proper names put together (Moët et Chandon) and you just have to know how to pronounce them.”
To confuse matters further, although Moët himself was born in France in 1683, his name isn’t French – it’s Dutch – a language where the ‘t’ is pronounced.
Ralph’s theory as to why many people say ‘Mo-way’ is because it “sounds more fancy”, and when asked who started saying it like that, he joked: “The Brits.”
Taking to the comments section, one person explained further: “Because everyone assumes it is a full French name – if it was, Moët would be pronounced without the t – but Moët is a Dutch name and Chandon is French.”
Another clarified: “You pronounce the T because Moet was Dutch … it had two dots over the ‘e’ … I went to a function hosted by Moet & Chandon. I’ve been pronouncing it with the T for 35 years and had to buck the raised eyebrows and ignore the ignorant … thanks for highlighting the correct pronunciation. I’m now not the only one.”
However, not everyone knew the correct pronunciation. One person said: “Aww love that thank you so much for clearing that one up, I knew you were the best people to ask.” While another simply said: “That’s fascinating thank you!”