Port House abbreviations

[PhilW]

We currently have a "TPF abbreviations" thread here which includes all sorts of abbreviations (people, sites, terms) and a smattering of some of the Port Houses. I suggest it would be an improvement to have a separate post in the reference section of this site providing a comprehensive list of TPF-approved abbreviations for the Port Houses (for use on placemats, posts, any indexes etc). A separate post could then list other TPF abbreviations - perhaps also in the reference section, with the existing thread used for discussion of additions and changes as currently in the conversations area.

(edit: the above having been agreed, the determined list update on a regular basis is provided below).

The following abbreviations are used in the current tasting notes alphabetic index, as shown below.

• A = J. H. Andresen
  BV = Barão de Vilar
  Br = Barros
  BBR = Berry Brothers & Rudd Selection
  BI = Borges & Irmão
  Bb = Broadbent
  Bs = Bulas
  B = Burmester
  BA = Burmester Quinta do Arnozelo
  BN = Butler Nephew
  Cá = Cálem
  CáF = Cálem Quinta da Foz
  CM = Castro Mello
  Ch = Churchill
  ChAA = Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta
  ChG = Churchill Quinta da Gricha
  Ck = Cockburn
  CkC = Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
  Cn = Constantino
  Cs = Quinta do Crasto
  Cr = Croft
  CrR = Croft Quinta da Roêda
  CrS = Croft Quinta da Roêda Sērikos
  Cz = Cruz
  Dl = Dalva
  Df = Delaforce
  DfC = Delaforce Quinta da Corte
  Dx = Dixon (& Morgan)
  D = Dow
  DB = Dow Quinta do Bomfim
  DSR = Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira
  DG = Duff Gordon
  Du = Duorum
  Dv = Quinta da Devesa
  Fs = Feist
  Fr = Ferreira
  FrL = Ferreira Quinta da Leda
  FrP = Ferreira Quinta do Porto
  FrS = Ferreira Quinta do Seixo
  Fd = Feuerheerd
  F = Fonseca
  FG = Fonseca Guimaraens
  FP = Fonseca Quinta do Panascal
  GB = Gonzalez Byass
  MG = M. Gonzalez
  GC = Gould Campbell
  G = Graham
  GL = Graham’s Quinta das Lages
  GM = Graham’s (Quinta dos) Malvedos
  GST = Graham’s The Stone Terraces
  Gd = Guedes
  Ho = Hooper
  H = Hutcheson
  In = Quinta do Infantado
  Jv = Quinta do Javali
  K = Kopke
  KL = Kopke Quinta São Luiz
  Km = Kranemann
  Kr = (Wiese &) Krohn
  Lc = Quinta das Liceiras
  Lm = Quinta das Lamelas
  Mk = Mackenzie
  Mt = Martha’s
  Mz = Martinez
  My = Maynard
  MyO = Maynard Organic
  Ms = Messias
  MsC = Messias Quinta do Cachão
  Mg = Morgan
  Ni = Niepoort
  NiB = Niepoort Bioma
  NM = Noble & Murat
  Nv = Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
  N = Quinta do Noval
  NN = Quinta do Noval Nacional
  NS = Quinta do Noval Silval
  O = Offley
  OBV = Offley Boa Vista
  Os = Osborne
  Ps = Quinta do Passadouro
  Pg = Quinta do Pego
  Pi = Pintas
  Pç = Poças
  Pt = Quinta do Portal
  Pt+ = Quinta do Portal+
  PtM = Portal Quinta dos Muros
  QH = Quarles Harris
  Qv = Quevedo
  RP = Ramos Pinto
  RPE = Ramos Pinto Quinta de Ervamoira
  RV = Rebello Valente
  Rc = Porto Rocha
  Ra = Quinta da Romaneira
  Rm = Romariz
  Rr = Quinta de Roriz
  Rs = Quinta de la Rosa
  RO = Royal Oporto
  ROC = Royal Oporto Quinta das Carvalhas
  ROCo = Royal Oporto Quinta do Corval
  RCV = Real Companhia Velha
  RVn = Real Vinicola
  Rz = Rozès
  S = Sandeman
  SV = Sandeman Vau
  SS = Sandeman Quinta do Seixo
  SJ = A Pinto dos Santos Júnior
  Sq = Quinta da Sequeira
  Sb = Quinta do Sibio
  Sk = Skeffington
  SW = Smith Woodhouse
  SWM = Smith Woodhouse Madalena
  Sz = Porto Souza
  T = Taylor
  TSQ = Taylor Special Quinta
  TTF = Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita
  TV = Taylor Quinta de Vargellas
  TVVV = Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha
  Td = Quinta do Tedo
  TdS = Quinta do Tedo Savedre
  TH = Tuke Holdsworth
  Ud = O-Port-Unidade
  Vl = Quinta do Vallado
  Vr = Porto Valriz
  Vz = Quinta de Ventozelo
  V = Quinta do Vesuvio
  VC = Capela da Quinta do Vesuvio
  VDM = Quinta Vale Dona Maria
  VM = Quinta de Vale Meão
  VS = Vieira de Sousa
  VZ = Van Zeller
  W = Warre
  WC = Warre Quinta da Cavadinha
  
  
  For reference, since I would like to use these abbreviations elsewhere but also keep consistency, I am currently using [Unk] for Unknowns.

[Glenn E.]

+1

One can find said abbreviations in the sorted indexes, but having a sticky post in the reference section would be very useful.

[DRT]

What we need is a pedant with time on his hands to make this happen.

Can anyone think of who that might be?

[djewesbury]

What we need is a pedant with time on his hands to make this happen.

Can anyone think of who that might be?

I can hear you all shouting his name, and I'm in Italy.

[PhilW]

What we need is a pedant with time on his hands to make this happen.

Can anyone think of who that might be?

If accepted as a sensible idea, I'd be happy to create the initial list based on current understanding; if insufficient pedantry I could then be corrected and abused as needed. I would be equally happy for another suitable individual to perform the task in the first place.

[PhilW]

The following abbreviations are used ...

<snip> - list moved to first post in thread.

[jdaw1]

List in first post of this thread.

[Alex Bridgeman]

I've been giving some thought the matter of abbreviations and how we cope with general declarations, lesser declarations, the growth of single quinta wines and also the changing of ownership of quintas.

It seems to me that the only way we could cope was to have a structure that essentially went:
Part 1; Part 2; vintage

Part 1 would identify the shipper, if a shipper was relevant.
Part 2 would identify the quinta, if the port was sourced from a single quinta (or vineyard)
The vintage could be abbreviated, but this could lead to confusion whether we were referring to Taylor 1811, 1911 or 2011.

On this basis you could quickly have a set of rules that allowed flexibility. Consider the example of Vargellas sourced wines:
In 1912, Taylor made a vintage port, a Vargellas single quinta port and a Vargellas single quinta port from the old vines (OK, so they didn't make the latter but just bear with me for the example).
The abbreviations could be:
T 1912
T Vg 1912
T VgVV 1912

This naming structure also allows flexibility so that prior to Taylor Fladgate owning Vargellas, you would have had "Fe Vg 1878", this being the Vargellas 1878 produced under the Ferreira ownership.

If at a point in the future Vargellas become independently owned, the wines would just be identified as Vg 2050.

This type of naming convention would allow a quick search to find all wines produced by a particular shipper or from a particular quinta, or a combination of the two.

It would create some headaches as there would have to be no duplications between quinta abbreviations and shipper abbreviations but it would also help with differentiating between some of the quirks like Quinta do Noval Silval (NoS) and Quinta do Noval Quinta do Silval (No Si). A search on "No" would pull out both wines but still allow a more refined search to identify only one of the two.

[jdaw1]

One of the desiderata is brevity. ‟TV96” works a lot of the time. FrVg1878 (or FeVg1878) is a much smaller proportion of my diet.

[Alex Bridgeman]

One of the desiderata is brevity. ‟TV96” works a lot of the time. FrVg1878 (or FeVg1878) is a much smaller proportion of my diet.

True - it is a balance between completeness, brevity and clarity.

If we are just looking for a commonly understood abbreviation then TV96 mostly works.

If we're looking for something which in years to come can be searched and found and understood with clarity then TV96 will generally work, but will leave room for confusion - Taylor Vargellas 1896 or 1996?

Perhaps a quick solution is to abbreviate only where there is potential confusion? Thus TV96 would be TV1996 or TV1896 but FeV78 would be just that? Or perhaps abbreviate 20th century vintages and those where there is no confusion - TV96, TV1896 and FeV78

But life is too short for me to become too worried about this. If we develop a common standard, I will use it; otherwise I will use common sense.

[djewesbury]

One of the desiderata is brevity. ‟TV96” works a lot of the time. FrVg1878 (or FeVg1878) is a much smaller proportion of my diet.

Also, we have to allow for user having a certain amount of brain at their disposal. Perhaps not the end of the world if they are presented with a choice between 1878 and 1978 on searching for a particular wine. They will have very little to do in order to find the notes on the tipple by which they are confronted at that moment. Of course, an infallible system that is ready for any eventuality is always good. Good luck with that one...

[jdaw1]

Perhaps what is wanted is a system with AHB-style longer abbreviations, but also with concise versions to be used only where context disambiguates.

[djewesbury]

Perhaps what is wanted is a system with AHB-style longer abbreviations, but also with concise versions to be used only where context disambiguates.

thoroughly sensible. +1

[PhilW]

Agree with all of AHB's post, plus the benefit of brevity/simplicity.

Perhaps what is wanted is a system with AHB-style longer abbreviations, but also with concise versions to be used only where context disambiguates.

Agree, though I would suggest the additional rule that the Shipper should never be abbreviated.

[jdaw1]

Agree, though I would suggest the additional rule that the Shipper should never be abbreviated.

So, for Churchill Agua Alta, you want ChAA rather than CAA. Presumably you give greater weight to internal consistency than to brevity.

[PhilW]

Agree, though I would suggest the additional rule that the Shipper should never be abbreviated.

So, for Churchill Agua Alta, you want ChAA rather than CAA. Presumably you give greater weight to internal consistency than to brevity.

I would also accept ChA for brevity (thought ChAA seems more natural), but yes, very strong dislike for CAA.

[Glenn E.]

Agree, though I would suggest the additional rule that the Shipper should never be abbreviated.

So, for Churchill Agua Alta, you want ChAA rather than CAA. Presumably you give greater weight to internal consistency than to brevity.

I would also accept ChA for brevity (thought ChAA seems more natural), but yes, very strong dislike for CAA.

Agreed. CAA would be a Cockburn property.

[jdaw1]

List in first post of this thread.

[PhilW]

I would make the following changes:

Ck = Cockburn
VC = Vesuvio Capela

and would suggest:

ChAA Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta
DSR Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira
KSL = Kopke Quinta São Luiz

[idj123]

Agree with Phil regarding the Ck and VC. Is there any reason why Krohn isn't Kr?

[jdaw1]

Ck = Cockburn

Oops, I started from an old list. Agreed.

VC = Vesuvio Capela

Agree with Phil regarding the Ck and VC.

Clarity versus pedantry. I’m happy with either. VC it is.

ChAA Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta

I prefer the brevity of ChA, which is still unique.

DSR Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira

Senhora feels to me to be a low-information word, hence my preferring the DB-like DR. Other votes?

KSL = Kopke Quinta São Luiz

São is definitely a low-information word. Yes yes, obviously Luiz’s mother was pleased with the promotion, but for our purposes, low-information. And KL traditional: 27 June 2009, 23 Oct 2009, 16 March 2010, 28 Sep 2010 (which also has Kh for Krohn), and 20 Jan 2013.

Is there any reason why Krohn isn't Kr?

None except being traditional. Though WK also has merit.

[Glenn E.]

Additional suggestions:

Cockburn Quinta dos Canais should be CkC, not CC
Croft Quinta da Roeda should be CrR, not CR
Messias Quinta do Cachão should be MsC, not MC.

General rule: keep the Producer abbreviation intact when adding a qualifier. (This has been previously suggested by Phil.)

DG bothers me, as it appears to be a Dow Quinta. I do not see a viable alternative. There are numerous others that bother me for similar reasons, with equally lacking alternatives. GB and GC, for example. (GL and GM are Graham estates, but GB and GC aren't?) As further information, BN doesn't bother me as much because Burmester doesn't have any SQVP bottlings, so the issue for me is mostly confined to cases that might cause confusion.

[Glenn E.]

Question: do you distinguish between Graham Malvedos and Graham Quinta dos Malvedos?

[jdaw1]

Cockburn Quinta dos Canais should be CkC, not CC
Croft Quinta da Roeda should be CrR, not CR
Messias Quinta do Cachão should be MsC, not MC.

General rule: keep the Producer abbreviation intact when adding a qualifier.

General rule: brevity good. The rules conflict. There is precedent for CR = Croft Roeda (14 May 2010, 2 Mar 2012, 15 Oct 2012 (which has Cr70 and CR70 side-by-side), and 16 June 2014); and for MC = Cachão (2 Mar 2012 and 12 Oct 2013 (pages 284, 374, 378, 383, and others) ).

DG bothers me, as it appears to be a Dow Quinta. I do not see a viable alternative. There are numerous others that bother me for similar reasons, with equally lacking alternatives. GB and GC, for example. (GL and GM are Graham estates, but GB and GC aren't?) As further information, BN doesn't bother me as much because Burmester doesn't have any SQVP bottlings, so the issue for me is mostly confined to cases that might cause confusion.

The only logical solution is Dw = Dow, and that because Glenn gets confused by Duff Gordon. Not going there.

Question: do you distinguish between Graham Malvedos and Graham Quinta dos Malvedos?

The abbreviations are meant to cope as well as concision allows with almost all relevant cases. Are there any years in which there are both Graham Malvedos and Graham Quinta dos Malvedos? No. Good.

Quinta de Vale Meão: VM or Mã? Perhaps I prefer the latter.

[DRT]

I would suggest avoiding the use of squiggles. (Calem, Pocas, Vale Meao). These abbreviations are intended to make life simple. Don't condemn your readers to a life sentence of searching for squiggles that don't obviously exist on their keyboard.

I agree with everything JDAW has said in response to other suggestions.