6 Cheeses that Soar with South American Wines

If you love wine, there is a good chance you also love cheese. Few combinations elicit as many flavor epiphanies.

If you normally reach for a bottle of South American wine, whether from Chile, Argentina or Uruguay, you’re in a world of luck should you seek to impress at your next wine and cheese social gathering.

Every popular cheese has a fitting South American wine partner, and while we wouldn’t claim that there is an absolute right and wrong when pairing wine and cheese, the six pairing ideas below are sure to be a hit.

All cheeses referenced in this post are readily available at most grocery stores, and the wines you can find right here at GVI Wines.

Gorgonzola with Malbec (Try this wine: 2018 Ricardo Santos Malbec, Mendoza)

The tricky thing about blue (bleu) cheeses is that they vary in their sharpness and intensity. Some wines are magic with the sharper cheeses and a bit lacking with the less pungent varieties.

More powerful blue cheeses like Roquefort, for example, almost always call for a dessert wine like port to temper its pungency.

Milder blue cheeses like Gorgonzola can work with dry reds, assuming they are not too structured and have plump, voluptuous fruit.

Enter Malbec. Argentina’s claim to fame is all about ripe, dark berry fruit, and its tannins rarely reach the intensity of a young Cabernet Sauvignon.

A wine such as the 2018 Ricardo Santos Malbec has the heft to stand up to Gorgonzola’s flavor without overwhelming its “blueness.” As a bonus, if you’ve decided to garnish your medium-rare filet mignon with the Gorgonzola, that Malbec will see you through your entire dinner.

Goat cheese with Sauvignon Blanc (Try this wine: 2019 Marichal Sauvignon Blanc, Uruguay)

Wine and cheese pairings don’t get any more classic than goat cheese with Sauvignon Blanc.

Sauvignon Blanc has a mouth-puckering laser beam of acidity running through it, which cleanses and refreshes the palate. That acidity cuts through the creamy richness of the goat cheese and accentuates its flavor.

It’s true that goat cheeses run the gamut from goaty and tangy (read: sour) to mild and even a bit sweet. Sauvignon Blanc works with them all.

The fascinating thing about this pairing is that the acidity in the wine doesn’t make the goat cheese seem more sour or tangy. Instead, the tanginess in the cheese makes the wine seem a bit smoother. In other words, they balance each other perfectly.

Parmigiano-Reggiano with Sangiovese (Try this wine: 2018 Tercos Sangiovese, Mendoza)

Parmigiano-Reggiano and the Sangiovese grape are native to Italy. The former has a firm texture and rich, sharp flavor, while the latter has high acid, firm tannins, and a beautiful red cherry and herbal flavor profile. They were made for each other.

Argentine culture has strong Italian influences, so of course many growers decided to plant Sangiovese, their ancestral grape. Fortunately, pockets of Mendoza have proven ideal for the grape, and Tercos is one of its top producers.

The bold flavors of Parmigiano-Reggiano can easily stand up to Sangiovese’s richness, while the cheese’s salty flavor neutralizes the acidity in the wine, making it seem rounder and fruitier. What’s not to love about that?

A quick note about Parmigiano-Reggiano: It must be made in Italy. Cheese labeled “parmesan” are produced similarly and can be exceptionally good, but they can be made anywhere in the world. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real deal.

Brie with Bubbles (Try this wine: NV Apaltagua Costero Sparkling, San Antonio Valley)

Brie works with dry sparkling wine in much the same way that goat cheese works with Sauvignon Blanc.

Brie is rich and creamy, and has a flavor that borders on the buttery. With such an unctuous texture, Brie needs a high-acid wine to freshen it up. And those bubbles in the wine? They almost make the cheese seem lighter on its feet. It’s a wine and cheese pairing you simply must experience.

South America is not as renowned for its bubblies as France and Italy, but don’t tell that to Chile’s Apaltagua. Their Costero sparkling wine is made using the same methods as Champagne, and the grapes they use in the blend — Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc — have enough acidity to make the wine a perfect match for Brie.

Apaltagua’s bubbly is also extremely affordable compared to the more well-known sparkling wines, making this a wine and cheese pairing you can enjoy over and over.

Gruyere with Pinot Noir (Try this wine: 2018 Albamar Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley)

Gruyere isn’t the strongest cheese out there, but neither is it the weakest. It’s semi-firm, and has a distinct nutty flavor. It’s certainly a cheese that can easily be overpowered by a hastily chosen wine.

Pinot Noir can be made in a bold, powerful style, but most of the time it emphasizes finesse and subtlety, and has the flavor of perfectly ripe red cherries.

Pinot Noir wines that show off their softer side are a glorious match for gruyere, and Albamar, from Chile’s cool, wind-swept Casablanca Valley, fits that bill.

Because they are produced so near the Pacific Ocean, Albamar’s Pinot Noir is fresh and medium-bodied, so its stands up nicely to gruyere’s sweet and salty flavor without overwhelming it.

Like Malbec, Pinot Noir is the type of wine that can carry you through an entire meal, so if you’re melting some gruyere for a sandwich, quiche or French onion soup, you’re all set.

Aged Cheddar with Cabernet Sauvignon (Try this wine: 2017 Maquis Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua Valley)

There’s a good chance that cheddar is the most popular cheese on the planet. Fortunately, it pairs beautifully with one of the world’s most omnipresent red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Aged cheddar has the strongest flavor in the cheddar family, so it calls for a powerful wine, and yes, that means Cabernet Sauvignon.

The cheddar’s fat binds with the tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon, softening them and unleashing the wine’s dark berry fruit.

Given the amount of red meat consumed in Chile, Cabernet Sauvignon is not hard to find, and Maquis makes one of the most distinctive. Maquis grows grapes in the warm, sun-soaked Colchagua Valley, where Cabernet Sauvignon is most at home.

The 2017 Maquis Cabernet Sauvignon will make your aged cheddar get up and dance, for a fraction of the price of a Napa Valley version.