Re: Port House abbreviations
Posted: 10:09 Mon 01 Aug 2016
List in first post of this thread.
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I hope so. If you're not, there are a number of other places where you have favoured clarity over brevity; I'm hesitant to point them all out for fear of making the list less readable; Please just give injdaw1 wrote:Good spot on the inconsistency, which I’d rather resolve by shortening TVVV to TVV. Am I alone?PhilW wrote:I missed the above in my first scan through the list, but agree with Glenn that the Producer abbreviation once defined should be kept the same whether with/without additions. This is a case of clarity over brevity for me. Note that even JDAW sometimes appear to favour clarity over brevity (TVVV where TVV would be sufficient to be unique and shorter; but hence my argument for ChAA - even if ChA may have appeared previously).jdaw1 wrote:General rule: brevity good. The rules conflict. There is precedent for CR ...Glenn E. wrote: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.
Backward compatibility also desirable, so reluctant to fold on CR and MC. We haven’t used CC/CkC, nor ChA/ChAA, so am willing to concede on them.PhilW wrote:I hope so. If you're not, there are a number of other places where you have favoured clarity over brevity; I'm hesitant to point them all out for fear of making the list less readable; Please just give in
Precedent can be wrong, as it is in this case. The format should be consistent.jdaw1 wrote: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) ).Glenn E. wrote: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.
Agreed. As noted, I do not see a viable alternative. I mentioned it only in case it might spark an alternative from someone else.jdaw1 wrote:The only logical solution is Dw = Dow, and that because Glenn gets confused by Duff Gordon. Not going there.Glenn E. wrote: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.
I agree with Derek that letters not displayed on the keyboard should not be used. That said, I prefer VM to Ma (or Mã) regardless. Do you refer to the Port as "Meão" alone? I do not. Thus VM over Mã.jdaw1 wrote:Quinta de Vale Meão: VM or Mã? Perhaps I prefer the latter.
Understood. In that case, I recommend a simple and easy solution: post a clarification/notice of change in the summary thread indicating the change. As the book is/will be a permanent record, the rules should be as standard and clear as possible upon publication. If truly desired, the old threads could be edited to conform.jdaw1 wrote:Backward compatibility also desirable, so reluctant to fold on CR and MC. We haven’t used CC/CkC, nor ChA/ChAA, so am willing to concede on them.
If that is the team theory — precedent binned — I’ll submit. Though something is wrong with the idea of Port people casting away traditional as if it were a mere commercial convenience to be replaced with a cost-saving measure.Glenn E. wrote:Precedent can be wrong, as it is in this case. The format should be consistent.
The ‘h’ is silent, which is a good objection. WK?Glenn E. wrote:(Kh instead of Kr, Kn, or even WK for one. The 'h' is silent, so its appearance in an abbreviation is... odd at best.)
Already agreed. Done.Glenn E. wrote:VM over Mã.
I’ve submitted.Glenn E. wrote:Similarly, if you wish to shorten TVVV it should be shortened to VVV, not TVV, as that's how we refer to the Port. (I do not recommend shortening the official abbreviation, as doing so would break formatting consistency.)
I really like the Cr/CR pair. Really like. Allow the elegance. This isn’t a programming language—perfect consistency isn’t going to happen.Glenn E. wrote:Understood. In that case, I recommend a simple and easy solution: post a clarification/notice of change in the summary thread indicating the change. As the book is/will be a permanent record, the rules should be as standard and clear as possible upon publication. If truly desired, the old threads could be edited to conform.jdaw1 wrote:Backward compatibility also desirable, so reluctant to fold on CR and MC. We haven’t used CC/CkC, nor ChA/ChAA, so am willing to concede on them.
Omitted because almost never drunk in the UK. Added Rc = Porto Rocha; and updated Sz = Porto Souza.Glenn E. wrote:Unless I'm simply not seeing it, Porto Rocha is missing. Which I noticed because, technically, Sz is Porto Souza, not just Souza.
If Sz, then Rc (?). Reasoning: Avoid Ro vs RO confusion. Ra already claimed by Romaneira. Rc over Rch for brevity.
This isn’t a programming language—perfect consistency isn’t going to happen. Some is sacrificed for brevity and elegance. Both O and OBV are listed, and the B and V are words with oomph. TSQ unavoidable and rare; TVVV should be shortened but I’m submitting to you; BBR very much the name of the firm. Would be happy with TF instead of TTF.Glenn E. wrote:DR and KL now stand in contrast for me with TTF, TSQ, TVVV, OBV, and BBR. (And, to a lesser extent, ChA/ChAA.) I understand the argument that "Senora" and "Sao" are less relevant words, but the inconsistency now grates. We clearly use longer abbreviations, so why not DSR and KSL?
Tradition has merit, but so does deciding to change something for the right reason. Cost-saving is not the right analogy - we're the ones wanting more lettersjdaw1 wrote:If that is the team theory — precedent binned — I’ll submit. Though something is wrong with the idea of Port people casting away traditional as if it were a mere commercial convenience to be replaced with a cost-saving measure.Glenn E. wrote:Precedent can be wrong, as it is in this case. The format should be consistent.
I can accept the odd exception, especially where well known and previously used. I personally prefer DSR and KSL to DR and DL, but would be willing to concede those too. I do think CkC better than CC though and ChAA has also been used previously; and would stay with TTF. As far as others above go, there are several cases where other options would have been possible, but I see insufficient reason for change to them.jdaw1 wrote:I really like the Cr/CR pair. Really like. Allow the elegance.
There is nothing wrong with this. Today we have decided that there is a new way of doing things. Tomorrow we will declare that way to be traditional, perhaps even "an ancient tradition". Isn't that how things are supposed to work in the Port industry?jdaw1 wrote:If that is the team theory — precedent binned — I’ll submit. Though something is wrong with the idea of Port people casting away traditional as if it were a mere commercial convenience to be replaced with a cost-saving measure.Glenn E. wrote:Precedent can be wrong, as it is in this case. The format should be consistent.
It would be cruel to steal the V from him. I vote for VZ.jdaw1 wrote:I’ll fold on three more:
ChAA = Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta
CkC = Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
DSR = Dow Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira
With the dropping of small words, should Van Zeller be VZ or just Z?
That is fair, and why this thread was re-awakened.Glenn E. wrote:I still feel that we should be as consistent as possible, but will bend to the will of the team. This is our one real chance to update and standardize... once it is in print we're pretty much stuck with it.
Krohn is rarely seen in this sceptred isle. Precedent not so important. People please vote from: Kh, Kr, Kn, WK? Second preferences allowed. (And don’t dismiss WK on grounds of geekiness — port tastings are for geeks. C.f., BI = Borges & Irmão.)Glenn E. wrote:I prefer Kr (or, less so, Kn) to WK or Kh. I have many bottles of Krohn in which Wiese is only listed in the fine print. No one other than a Port geek would know that the firm's full name is Wiese & Krohn from those bottles.
Side-by-side, it’s a splendid pair.Glenn E. wrote:Cr/CR doesn't look like a pair to me. It looks like Ports from two different producers - the first Croft, and the second being some unknown shipper with two words or possibly some new "C" shipper with an "R" quinta. But I will go with the group if Cr/CR is ultimately the decision.
All these already agreed and done. No further discussion necessary.Glenn E. wrote:I believe that I tend toward clarity over brevity, so am happy with TTF, TSQ, TVVV, OBV, and BBR as they are. To them I would add DSR …. (DSR done, I now note.) To me, Senhora is at least as oomphy as Boa. … VZ for me, too.
We disagree. If there’s a strongly-held consensus against me, I’ll fold, but it needs to be strong as KL plenty clear, and supported by brevity and precedent.Glenn E. wrote:and KSL. … And Sao means Saint, which seems pretty oomphy to me.
This omission to be fixed, but ideally more concisely. Would Nv be acceptable? (Is there risk of confusion with Quinta da Fonte Nova (FN?) or with any of the Quinta do Noval possibilities — Noval Silval, Quinta do Noval Quinta do Marco, Quinta do Noval Silval (NS?), Quinta do Noval Quinta do Silval?) But NNSC11 is just too long for where it needs to go.Glenn E. wrote:No, really, NNSC? I have a bottle of their 2009 LBV if you'd like a picture. (At least I think it's the 2009 LBV... but I have a bottle of something from them.)
Now is the chance. Or hold thy peace.Glenn E. wrote:As previously noted, there are numerous other small things I would change that I have not bothered to bring up because they are not significant enough to warrant discussion. Kr over Kh was the most significant of those.
First preference Kr, second Kh (on grounds of previous use).jdaw1 wrote:People please vote from: Kh, Kr, Kn, WK? Second preferences allowed. (And don’t dismiss WK on grounds of geekiness — port tastings are for geeks. C.f., BI = Borges & Irmão.)
Fine with me.jdaw1 wrote:Would Nv be acceptable?
Kr first, Kn second. Kh and WK are equally last for me.jdaw1 wrote:Krohn is rarely seen in this sceptred isle. Precedent not so important. People please vote from: Kh, Kr, Kn, WK? Second preferences allowed. (And don’t dismiss WK on grounds of geekiness — port tastings are for geeks. C.f., BI = Borges & Irmão.)Glenn E. wrote:I prefer Kr (or, less so, Kn) to WK or Kh. I have many bottles of Krohn in which Wiese is only listed in the fine print. No one other than a Port geek would know that the firm's full name is Wiese & Krohn from those bottles.
Nv seems like it should work. My memory was telling me that there's already a different Quinta called Quinta Nova (or something similar), but I cannot find any such Quinta via Google. Further supporting Nv is the fact that the Quinta's own website is http://www.quintanova.com.jdaw1 wrote:This omission to be fixed, but ideally more concisely. Would Nv be acceptable? (Is there risk of confusion with Quinta da Fonte Nova (FN?) or with any of the Quinta do Noval possibilities — Noval Silval, Quinta do Noval Quinta do Marco, Quinta do Noval Silval (NS?), Quinta do Noval Quinta do Silval?) But NNSC11 is just too long for where it needs to go.Glenn E. wrote:No, really, NNSC? I have a bottle of their 2009 LBV if you'd like a picture. (At least I think it's the 2009 LBV... but I have a bottle of something from them.)
Duly noted. Holding, as the remaining quibbles aren't worth the discussion.jdaw1 wrote:Now is the chance. Or hold thy peace.Glenn E. wrote:As previously noted, there are numerous other small things I would change that I have not bothered to bring up because they are not significant enough to warrant discussion. Kr over Kh was the most significant of those.
Later I will delete from this thread all non-up-to-date lists, to prevent confusion in those arriving from Google.jdaw1 wrote:ChAA = Churchill Quinta da Agua Alta
…
Ck = Cockburn
CkC = Cockburn Quinta dos Canais
…
Cr = Croft
CR = Croft Quinta da Roêda
…
GB = Gonzalez Byass
…
VM = Quinta de Vale Meão
Ms = Messias
MC = Messias Quinta do Cachão
…
Nv = Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
…
NS = Quinta do Noval Silval
…
TSQ = Taylor Special Quinta
TTF = Taylor Quinta de Terra Feita
TV = Taylor Quinta de Vargellas
TVVV = Taylor Quinta de Vargellas Vinha Velha
…
VZ = Van Zeller
I'm not sure what gets damaged by sacrificing backward compatibility in the Croft and Messias cases. With hindsight, CrR would have been a more clear and consistent choice of abbreviation. A once in a lifetime opportunity presents itself now, to correct a previous misstep.jdaw1 wrote:Backward compatibility also desirable, so reluctant to fold on CR and MC....PhilW wrote:I hope so. If you're not, there are a number of other places where you have favoured clarity over brevity; I'm hesitant to point them all out for fear of making the list less readable; Please just give in
You are all ganging up on me. It’s a conspiracy.jdaw1 wrote:…
CrR = Croft Quinta da Roêda
…
KL = Kopke Quinta São Luiz
…
MsC = Messias Quinta do Cachão
No. I have given a whole class of concessions. KL.PhilW wrote:Should we vote on whether Luiz deserves to lose his sainthood?
Three better than four; two better than three.PhilW wrote:I think the above is a good demonstration of the advantage of brevity from a visual perspective; I am partly persuaded that it would be worth attempting to keep the complete abbreviation to three letters where possible
Actually, reducing the amount of space available.PhilW wrote:I believe both can be improved visually by a small gap between central and circular text (mitigating, not negating the point).
It is the main purpose of the abbreviations. Willing to consider the problem more generally, but ignoring the main purpose seems wrong.Glenn E. wrote:Also, placemats should not be the driving factor behind this decision.
I thought it was to make it easier to refer to things like the 2009 Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Late Bottled Vintage Port during internet discussions amongst geeks. Even less extreme examples such as F85 are much simpler and easier to write.jdaw1 wrote:It is the main purpose of the abbreviations. Willing to consider the problem more generally, but ignoring the main purpose seems wrong.Glenn E. wrote:Also, placemats should not be the driving factor behind this decision.
Which still says that one of the purposes, for a significant proportion even if not the same proportion for everybody, requires brevity.Glenn E. wrote:I thought it was to make it easier to refer to things like the 2009 Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo Late Bottled Vintage Port during internet discussions amongst geeks. Even less extreme examples such as F85 are much simpler and easier to write.
Placemats may have been the original purpose, but it seems to me at this point that common and recognizable abbreviations on internet forums (and in books!) is more important.
KL.Sogrape wrote:S. Luiz Vineyard
Quinta S. Luiz is situated …. Today, Quinta de S. Luiz cover 125 hectares of total area, which 90 hectares have, vineyards. The planting of the vineyards in the Quinta de S. Luiz has always been done using ….
*CURIOSITY Quinta S. Luiz was owned by C.N. Kopke & Cª in 1922…
I rarely see "saint" written out in full, either. Inconclusive - it's simply a commonly abbreviated word.jdaw1 wrote:Sogrape themselves don’t think São sufficiently important to be written in full:KL.Sogrape wrote:S. Luiz Vineyard
Quinta S. Luiz is situated …. Today, Quinta de S. Luiz cover 125 hectares of total area, which 90 hectares have, vineyards. The planting of the vineyards in the Quinta de S. Luiz has always been done using ….
*CURIOSITY Quinta S. Luiz was owned by C.N. Kopke & Cª in 1922…
No. Not final until book at publisher.AHB wrote:Am I too late to join in?
It doesn’t have to be.AHB wrote:Is the list on page 2 the current final version of the list?
{Sigh} Perhaps.AHB wrote:Do we need to discuss further the abbreviations for Noval Silval, Noval Quinta do Silval, Quinta do Noval Quinto do Silval?
Feuerheerd = Fd. Hard to confuse. Concise (me happy) and unambiguous. Ferreira, with three r’s, is Fr. If clarity so much more important than brevity, one could use ‘abbreviations’ of “Feuerheerd” and “Ferreira”: not concise, but unlikely to be confused.AHB wrote:Also, I would observe that the most frequent use of the abbreviations is not on placemats, but in the discussion threads on this board when clarity is much more important that brevity. In the past I have agreed to swap bottles with a fellow port lover but received Feuerheerd port instead of the Ferreira port I had expected! (Although, for the sake of the feelings of the person concerned, I want to stress that I was actually delighted to receive the Feuerheerd port as it was something I had not tried very often before and had never owned.)
For me, approximately equally weighted.AHB wrote:For me, the abbreviations must be (in order of importance):
Consistently used
Intuitive and unambiguous
Brief
As I say ‘Feist’, the ‘s’ is stronger than the ‘t’. Would you object to ‘Fs’ — which cannot be confused with Feuerheerd, nor with Ferreira?AHB wrote:I like Fd, Fr but not Fe. Feist could be Ft, which would be unambiguous.
Brevity important for me. ‘GM’ = Malvedos. ‘GST’ acceptable for the — alas rare — Stone Terraces. Cavadinha = WC; Capela = VC. Brevity important.AHB wrote:I like D for Dow. DB works as Bomfim but causes confusion when used close to DG. I would prefer single letter shippers to have double letter Quinta abbreviations. Thus you would have DBo, DSR and these would be distinct from DG. To be consistent you could run this further and have GMa, GST, WCa, VCp etc.
List looks good to me.jdaw1 wrote:Updated list:
And me.PhilW wrote:List looks good to me.jdaw1 wrote:Updated list:
= RO?AHB wrote:What about Real Vinicola?
RVi works for mejdaw1 wrote:RVi? RVc? Pee? RVo?
Shippers are not equal. Taylor is a more important shipper that Tedo. As Taylor is the only ‘T’ with this property, Taylor gets a single letter. Likewise, Sandeman and Skeffington; Graham and Guedes; Fonseca and Feuerheerd; Dow and Dalva.AHB wrote:What is the rule for a single letter abbreviation to be used for a shipper? Why no single letter abbreviation for shippers beginning with M?