by Serenata Wines

Wine drinkers - especially those who arent experts - are swayed by a key factor when choosing a wine, according to a new study: the more difficult the winery is to pronounce, the more popular its products are likely to be.

An article in Decanter cited research carried out by Dr Antonia Mantonakis, a professor at Brock University.

Tthe study found that consumers gave wines, whose makers names they found difficult to pronounce, a higher rating in a blind taste test; they were also prepared to spend more money on the same wine.

Dr Mantonakis commented on the results of her study.

She stated: "Wines associated with more difficult-to-pronounce names are associated with higher ratings.

"Things that are difficult to pronounce are unfamiliar because they are usually rare.

"Perception of tastes are different if they are associated with a more disfluent winery name and that result is especially pronounced for high wine-knowledge participants," she concluded.

Despite her findings however, Dr Mantonakis said that her findings might not necessarily be reflected in standard wine purchases; she added: "Whether these results would replicate in a more natural setting is something we dont know."

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