Tinto vs Rojo
Por qué es la palabra Tinto utilizado cuando decimos vino tinto, pero Rojo es utilizado cuando decimos carne? Ejemplo. Me gusta vino tinta con mi carne rojo.
No decimos 'vino no tinto' para vino blanco...
Gracias!
21 Answers
I just noticed that everyone so far missed the real question. He's not asking how to say "red wine" or "red meat" in Spanish, he already knows that. He's puzzled as to why red wine is called "tinto" but red meat is called "roja", when both wine and meat can only be red or white. It's actually an interesting and intelligent question.
I believe I already answered that, to a certain point. "Tinto" is used practically and almost exclusively for red wine; nothing else. Why? Well... if we start with questions like this, we can come up with billions of questions regarding any language in the world.
But let's have a look at the word, and where it comes from anyway. In the Middle Ages, in Spain, the usual terms to describe red were "bermejo" (the main word for red in modern Portuguese), "colorado" and "encarnado", whereas "rojo" became mainstream much later, displacing all other terms (except "colorado", maybe), pretty much like "marrón" did with "castaño" later. Why do we not say "bermejo" then? That's the way it is. "Tinto" comes from Latin "tinctus" (dyed / stained), from "tingere" (in modern Spanish also "teñido" and "teñir" respectively), ultimately meaning "soak", "dip", "make wet", related to words like "tinta" (ink). So, was this name chosen because red wine stains and soaks clothes like any other dye? I don't know (but I'll do some research), but the name was chosen like any other one: popular decision, not necessarily logical. The word RED is "rojo" in Spanish, in general; however, for wines we reserve the word "tinto", which is rarely used in any other context.
Doses Spanish have a word for "blush" which I believe believe is a light colored rosé? or for sec'=dry ; brût'=very dry (or do the French have a monopoly on wine terminology')
We do, actually: see Heidita's remarks above. However, when it comes to wines, cheeses, food, and perfumes, French people have somehow, if not a monopoly, a reputation that justifies a ridiculous increase in price in many cases.
I also looked into the word Sangria which means blood in old Spanish and Portugese, can you tell me whether this story is true?
No one is completely sure about the etymology of this word, but there are two main theories about it. In any case, "sangría" means "bleeding" in modern Spanish as well as in "Old Spanish" (as you call it), from Latin "sanguis". One theory says that it is a Spanish word, and the name is because of its colour. Another theory disagrees, because there are texts in English from the 18th century using the word "sangaree" (still in the OED) to refer to this drink, and apparently it was later adopted in some dialects in Spain from that English version, which is unlikely to happen if the word had existed already in Spain. According to this theory, the word is likely to be from Sanskrit "sakkara", meaning sugar. Many claim that the drink was actually invented by the English, and later adopted by the Spaniards.
At least in Portuguese, wine is not perceived as red, it is perceived as having a colour called "vinho", which also happens to be the Portuguese word for wine.
I've checked with a friend of mine who is a Portuguese writer, and he says there is no such a thing as a colour called "vinho"; he says that "vinho" is simply "wine". You can say "cor de vinho", but you could have used any other object with a characteristic colour instead, like a fruit, blood,...
No, because anything can be "vinho", since it's the name of a colour.
Again, my friend disagrees.
P.S. My Portuguese dictionary (silly me, I forgot I had one) does not say that "vinho" is a colour.
The literal translation is not what was asked. "Vino tinto" is the equivalent of the English for red wine. "Vino rojo", even if it might be undertood, would sound very odd and unusual.
"Vino" is Spanish for wine, so you may wonder why they say "vino tinto" instead of simply "vino rojo" ("rojo" meaning "red"). The word "tinto" comes from the Latin word "tinctus," which means "tinted" or "dyed." In wine-making, red grapes are used to tint white grapes until the liquid turns a red or darker color. Thus, vino tinto is not merely red grape-based, but can represent a blend of different wine varietals.
I've checked with a friend of mine who is a Portuguese writer, and he says there is no such a thing as a colour called "vinho"
Well, it's a sad fact that Brazilians and Portuguese don't really speak the same language. We got to the point where Brazilian books have to be rewritten before they can be sold in Portugal, and vice-versa.
I can also get at my local supermarket oranges that are red inside. They are called blood oranges.
"Wine" is a colour in English mainly used to describe Dark Port Red. I also looked into the word Sangria which means blood in old Spanish and Portugese, can you tell me whether this story is true?
I have tasted a nice Portugese wine called Mataeus Rose Vinho and always thought the Rose refered to its pink colour.
So maybe that is why Rioja wine is associated with "red" wines and Sangria is always made with red wine too.
So how do you distiguish red wine to white wine?
Just like in Spanish: "vinho tinto" and "vinho branco"
you simply say "vinho" and it automatically means "red wine"?
No, because anything can be "vinho", since it's the name of a colour. A good analogy would be "naranja" - the word may refer to the colour or to the fruit, used by itself the meaning may not be clear.
Now imagine if white oranges existed. We would probably call them "naranjas blancas", but what would we call the coloured ones? Certainly not "naranjas naranjas". This is exactly the situation with coloured wine in Portuguese: we can't call it "vinho vinho", and nobody would think of calling it "vinho vermelho" (red) because it doesn't look red to us.
So I'm just guessing that someone whose native language is Spanish doesn't look at wine and see the colour red, which is why they would frown at someone calling it "vino rojo". It's not because it's unusual, it's because "vino" does not look "rojo" anymore than it looks "marrón". But, again, I'm just guessing based on what I know from Portuguese.
At least in Portuguese, wine is not perceived as red, it is perceived as having a colour called "vinho", which also happens to be the Portuguese word for wine. Because of that, it makes no sense to attach a colour name to coloured wine since wine can only have the colour of wine.
Spanish doesn't have a colour called "vino" but I suspect its speakers perceive the colour of wine the same way Portuguese speakers do (that is, not red but unique). Can anyone confirm this?
Now this is a very interesting post, Aurino. So how do you distiguish red wine to white wine? you simply say "vinho" and it autaumatically means "red wine"? Interesting.
Actually, in Spain we often do not add wine to tinto. We say:
Una botella de tinto , por favor. Me pone un tinto.
This would be more or less the equivalent to "vinho", I guess.
Lazarus is the wine specialist, so he will give you a more expert answer.
Well... if we start with questions like this, we can come up with billions of questions regarding any language in the world.
Answering questions like this is actually called etymology. It happens to be one of my hobbies 
In the Middle Ages, in Spain, the usual terms to describe red were "bermejo" (the main word for red in modern Portuguese), "colorado" and "encarnado"
I did notice one interesting thing about Portuguese and Spanish: they both use "tinto" for wines, whereas Italian, French and English use their main word for red. And I think the explanation has to do with colour perception, which is a cultural phenomenon.
The human eye is capable of perceiving millions of colours but our languages can only have a few colour names. As a result, two colours that have the same name in one language may have different names in another.
At least in Portuguese, wine is not perceived as red, it is perceived as having a colour called "vinho", which also happens to be the Portuguese word for wine. Because of that, it makes no sense to attach a colour name to coloured wine since wine can only have the colour of wine.
Spanish doesn't have a colour called "vino" but I suspect its speakers perceive the colour of wine the same way Portuguese speakers do (that is, not red but unique). Can anyone confirm this'
Por qué es la palabra Tinto utilizado cuando decimos vino tinto, pero Rojo es utilizado cuando decimos carne? Ejemplo. Me gusta vino tinta con mi carne rojo.
No decimos 'vino no tinto' para vino blanco...
Gracias!
Well, we do have this habit of messing with "red"
wine: vino tinto
skin : piel colorada, quemada
carne: roja
hair: pelirrojo, color zanahoria
ojos : inyectados en sangre
Doses Spanish have a word for "blush" which I believe believe is a light colored rosé? or for sec'=dry ; brût'=very dry (or do the French have a monopoly on wine terminology')
blush is sonrojar
dry=seco
brut=extra seco
In Spain, red wine is "tinto" or "vino tinto", but never "vino rojo". The word "tinto" is practically a synonym of red wine. White wine is "vino blanco", and rosé wine is "(vino) rosado".
For carne, and everything else that looks red, the word is "rojo".
Doses Spanish have a word for "blush" which I believe believe is a light colored rosé? or for sec'=dry ; brût'=very dry (or do the French have a monopoly on wine terminology')
