When researching Greece for my midterm project, I was shocked
by how many sources claimed that one of the biggest factors holding Greek wines
back is how difficult their names are to pronounce. But it does make sense. If
I’m honest, I myself am way less likely to order a wine at a restaurant if I’m
embarrassed to pronounce its name. And in this day of abbreviations, isn’t it
easier to just request a “pinot,” a “cab,” or a “chard?”
However, what if Greek wines’ difficult to pronounce names
could actually be to their benefit? A 2012 NPR study found that on average,
participants were willing to pay ~$2 more for a bottle of wine with a name
that’s hard to pronounce than for the same wine with a simple name. What’s
more, the more wine expertise study participants had, the more they valued the
difficult to pronounce wine. Antonia Mantonakis, the wine researcher who ran
the study, hypothesized that this is because “wine geeks” interpret rare and
unique wines as having higher value, so they are on the lookout for any
differentiation they can find in a bottle.
Here are some of my favorite difficult to pronounce wines
(and a guide on how to say their names).
Agiorgitiko (ah-yor-yee’-ti-ko) – the Greek red from Nemea
that we tasted in class
Assyrtiko (a-SEER-tee-ko) – a Greek white from Santorini
Blaufrankish (blouw-FRANN-keesh) – a red German varietal
Gewürztraminer (guh-VERTZ-tra-mean-er) – a white varietal
that’s popular in Austria
Spätburgunder (sh-pate-boor-gun-der)
– a German word for pinot noir; perhaps there’s a re-branding opportunity here?
Xinomavro (ksee-NO-ma-vr0) – a Greek red from Naousa
Sources:
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