Standardized Codes for Varieties and Appellations
For those of you who regularly read my blog, well, I guess you haven’t been reading it lately, since I haven’t been posting. Just too much work. One thing I’ve been working on to save time is automation. Macros, apps, etc. One minor form of that is coding into my Windows Dynamic Link Library a bunch of shortcuts for phrases and words I use commonly. I type just three or four letters, such as ‘NapC’ and it automatically gets converted into Napa County, no matter what program I am using.
Separately, I have in the past advocated for standardized abbreviations for varieties and appellations in our industry. It would have a great many benefits, from sharing notes and sending e-mails to intelligibly labelling wine samples. Today it clicked. I already have a shorthand for almost every variety and appellation (within California). I should share it. I would love if this was used as the basis for a standardized set of abbreviations for our industry and am open to any and all feedback.
Keep in mind, however, that such a large list is a balancing act. For instance, I keep appellations to exactly four letters and varieties to three, to prevent confusion. Only and all appellations that are just counties end in the letter C. I keep them case-sensitive for my own purposes, but I made sure that there are no duplicates, regardless of case. I have also avoided any actual words. The list of issues goes on and on, but I encourage you to download, use and share my spreadsheet and get back to me on any changes you would like to suggest.
You can download it on my tools page.