Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Sauternes

American  
[soh-turn, saw-, soh-tern] / soʊˈtɜrn, sɔ-, soʊˈtɛrn /

noun

  1. a rich, sweet white table wine of France.

  2. the district near Bordeaux producing this wine.


Sauternes British  
/ səʊˈtɜːn /

noun

  1. (sometimes not capital) a sweet white wine made in the southern Bordeaux district of France

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Sauternes

C18: from Sauternes, the district where it is produced

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Musings also run to the amount of sugar in Sauternes, or the pairing of wine and food, a notion James contends did not exist until the 1980s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

We relished a superb glass of Sauternes while watching the sun set behind the Siskiyous.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2022

In May on Nantucket, a dinner of old Bordeaux finished up with Château Climens 2005 from Barsac, a region within the greater Sauternes appellation.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2019

Sounds like Bordeaux to me — and to Mackay, who picks the golden-hued dessert wine Sauternes as his stand-in for the finest wine of Westeros.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2019

One ate oysters à la poulette, terrapin-salads, and croquettes; the wines were Sauternes and champagnes.

From Vandover and the Brute by Norris, Frank

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "Sauternes" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com