Napa, Calif.—The Napa Valley Vintners, NVV, announced that three of its members will no longer use the word “port” on labels of their fortified wines. According to a press release by the vintners group, the wineries — Boyd Family Vineyards, Freemark Abbey and Jessup Cellars — have the legal right to use the term because they were grandfathered following the signing of the 2006 U.S./European Commission Wine Trade Agreement. However, each has voluntarily agreed to abandon use of the semi-generic term out of respect for the NVV’s efforts to protect winemaking place names and as a nod to the Napa Valley’s alliance with Porto, the world’s oldest denominated wine region.

“Protecting the Napa name and preventing consumer confusion are top priorities for the NVV,” said Emma Swain, incoming chair of the board of the 525-plus member organization and CEO of St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery. “If we’re asking other regions to respect our name, we’ve got to walk the talk. We applaud these three member wineries for doing the right thing and we encourage other vintners to follow suit.”