Capitalization

Q. Would you consider creating a rule about the capitalization of wine varietals? In my dictionary Chablis is capitalized, cabernet sauvignon and merlot are lowercase but “often capitalized,” prosecco is lowercase, barbera is lowercase. I edit a lot of books containing wine names, including one book solely about wine varietals, and there does not appear to be an industry-specific source.

A. We appreciate your confusion. Although CMOS isn’t likely to take on the task of “wine casing,” William Safire once devised a reasonable system you might be able to use.