There is a seemingly infinite number of ways to misspell or mispronounce Anneleen Straetemans. Outside of Flanders where I grew up, I have been called Annaline, Anelleen, Annaleen, Anelean and (my least favorite) Analeen. It usually does not matter that my name is right there in my email, my LinkedIn profile or my last message. I have given up on Straetemans altogether.

It did not bother me much, until I read a study concluding that people with easy-to-pronounce names are consistently evaluated more positively, given more favor, and advance further in the workplace compared to those with difficult names.

The reason for this is processing fluency: the less time your brain needs to spend on something, the more it believes the underlying thing to be pleasant. Conversely, the subconscious mind misattributes the mild mental strain caused by a name like Anneleen Straetemans as an underlying negative trait. As a result, people with difficult names are seen as less likeable, riskier or more alien, than say, John Smith. 

That is why I sympathize deeply with tongue-twisting grape varieties. They are more difficult to remember, more difficult to market and subconsciously, we believe them to be less delicious. Unintentionally, they intimidate. Wine lovers are so afraid to mispronounce when ordering, that they go for what rolls off the tongue easily: Pinot Noir instead of Blaufränkisch, Assyrtiko instead of Moschofilero, Furmint instead of Hárslevelű.

One solution the wine world has for this is to adapt the pronunciation to the consumer: make it “Sauvignon Blank” instead of “Sauvignon Blanc”. Or use the name of the grape in a different language: use “Pinot Gris” instead of “Grauburgunder”. Or shorten to what your tongue can stomach: just “Cab Sauv” instead of “Cabernet Sauvignon”.

But I advocate for embracing the complexity. Let’s overcome our default setting and go for the weird and wonderful instead of the easy and predictable. Train your tongue to wring out sounds you never thought possible, and discover flavors you never thought existed.

With a tiny bit of practice, Hárslevelű (harsh-leh-veh-loo) is as easy to pronounce as Riesling - click here to let the people of Erdobenye help you.  

And me? I go by Ani now.*

*Only in the vineyard or winery. In the office, it is still Anneleen.