Should the "p" in Port be capitalized?

[Roy Hersh]

Not a new topic, but I really would like to see what people think. I see this all the time in articles, seemingly the British do not capitalize the "p" but American journalists tend to do so, certainly with more regularity. So what do you think?

There is a poll here, so you can vote too.

[Glenn E.]

I say yes. It's a proper noun referring to a protected denomination of origin.

Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Madeira, Chianti... all capitalized, right? Port is the same.

[Roy Hersh]

With one exception, Glenn. All of the above examples you gave are also the formal names of specific wine regions. Port is not; but otherwise, I like what you wrote in the sentence prior to that.

[Roy Hersh]

I also hope we can have more people willing to participate in the poll.

[Glenn E.]

True, but the US spelling - Porto - is almost the same as those regions.

[Paul Fountain]

With one exception, Glenn. All of the above examples you gave are also the formal names of specific wine regions. Port is not; but otherwise, I like what you wrote in the sentence prior to that.

A quick google search on Sherry seems to show that most are using the capital on that. So if we capitalize for Sherry then Port definitely gets a capital.

[Constantia G.]

This is a very interesting topic. Port has so many different styles, it is a category of its own . Such a variation- in my mind- would justify a capital P.

[Roy Hersh]

Currently, the poll shows 14:0 which would be even more meaningful if we had 50 votes, but it still shows a strong leaning towards Port and not port. This is something I'd love to see changed and honestly, it has bugged me long before there was a .

Often when the managing directors of Port companies write to me, or reply to A Question for the Port Trade, they (and I am including British, Portuguese and others in this blanket statement) use "port" and I wonder why they would do so. It gives me a good idea of how to change this once and for all.

[Tom Archer]

I think the answer comes down to context.

If referred to in a bland generic sense, e.g. - 'The college cellars are well stocked with wine and port' - the capitalising of the P in port would look wrong.

On the other hand, if referred to a little more intimately, e.g. - 'After some fine Burgundy, we indulged an excellent Port' - a failure to capitalise would also seem wrong..

[Roy Hersh]

In your first example, I'd see nothing wrong with a capitalized P. That's just one man's opinion. But I totally agree with your second premise and understand your belief in the former.