Wine Words: From Argentina With Love
posted by Scott in Wine Industry, Guest Bloggers
Alright, I’m not actually in Argentina. This post isn’t about malbec or torrontes. It isn’t about steak or the Tango, either. Well, kind of. See, this post is about how I’d describe these things as being of and from the magnificent country of Argentina.
I admit an affinity for describing language as it is supposed to be used rather than how it actually is used. I’ve been down this road before. But something jabs at me brain when someone tells they had the most wonderful Argentinean (sometimes spelled Argentinian) wine. Why do I heave and haw? I do so because Argentinean is a noun and not an adjective. An Argentinean is a person from Argentina; anything else from that great nation should be described as being Argentine. Proper usage follows as such, “When on vacation, I met the most fascinating Argentinean, together we drank Argentine malbec.” Sure, it’s not the sexiest of sentences, but it is a correct one.
I am fully aware of how nitpicky I’m being, but that’s my job. So next time someone tells you how much they dig Argentinean malbec, slap them in face and then tell them how to properly describe their beloved malbec. Just don’t tell them it was all my idea.
Wow, you know when you stop and point it out to me, I recall that you are correct, but i’m slovenly and follow the crowd - so ive being doing it wrong for a solid 10 years at least…
It reminds me of this thread, where a few of us were trying to figure out how many grape varietals there are in the world and someone jumped in and pointed out that we should have been referring to them as varieties:
http://www.openwineconsortium.org/forum/topic/show?id=2000748%3ATopic%3A31328
This kind of information is so helpful. I’ll reform, I swear!
Discover the splendor and magnificence of the wines of Argentina. Learn more about their culture, wine regions, geography and cuisines through
http://vino.com/country/argentina/. Cool, cool site!