Don’t let winespeak get in the way of your enjoyment of South American wine and food.

Here are some key terms to keep in mind as you explore the exciting gastronomy of this vast region. Because cheat sheets have to be short, we’ll focus on the three most commercially significant countries: Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

Aguardiente

Aguardiente is a type of distilled spirit, not wine. We include it in this list because growers devote sizeable chunk of South America’s grape crop to its production. You can also make it from grain or sugarcane. If you want a powerful aperitif before the wine starts flowing, look no further.

Alluvial

A type of soil found all over the wine-producing world, mainly consisting of pebbles, silt, sand and other organic matter. Vines do well in it because it has just enough nutrients to keep them producing fruit, but it also gives them room to dig their roots deeper into the earth. Thanks to runoff from the Andes snowmelt, Chile and Argentina have large alluvial deposits in their premier wine regions.

Asado

When you go to an asado, or BBQ, in Chile, Argentina or Uruguay, prepare to stay a while. It’s the perfect excuse to drink copious amounts of strong red wine, as round after round of meat and vegetables finds its way to your plate from a wood-fired grill.

Bonarda

The second most planted red grape in Argentina, after Malbec. The grape is not French, but Italian in origin. It makes a soft, plummy wine.

Bordeaux blend

Bordeaux may be in France, but Bordeaux’s grapes are grown all over the world. If you’ve heard of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Carménère, you’re in the right spot. Bordeaux blends are made from combinations of these grape varieties. Chile, Argentina and Uruguay produce hundreds of these wines.

Canelones

A Uruguayan administrative department, northeast of the capital of Montevideo. Also home to most of Uruguay’s vineyards. 60% of all Uruguayan wine comes from Canelones.

Carignan

A Spanish red grape grown most widely in southern France. The grape made its way to Chile in the 1930s, and many of these early plantings still exist. Chile’s “old vine” Carignan wines are rightfully seeing more recognition, led by the Maule Valley’s Gillmore Wines.

Carménère

A red grape found in many Bordeaux blends. Carménère has all but vanished from its native France, but Chile has proven to be a worthy second home for the grape. The world’s finest examples of Carménère are found here, most notably the Maquis Viola and Apaltagua Grial.

Chimichurri

If you’re eating grilled meat in Argentina and Uruguay, chimichurri is usually nearby. A delicious mix of chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and red wine vinegar, chimichurri is one of South America’s famous condiments.

Colchagua Valley

A warm, dry, breezy region that is home to some of Chile’s finest Bordeaux blends. The Tinguiririca River is a key reason for the region’s success. The river channels Andean snowmelt, in addition to silts and clays, to the vineyards below. These ingredients create ideal soils for viticulture.

Empanada

A fried or baked pastry filled with seafood, beef and other ingredients. The filling and preparation depends on local tradition. Empanadas are staples of Chilean, Argentine and Uruguayan cuisine.

Gaucho

A common sight in the Argentine grasslands, gauchos are skilled riders who help tend cattle and horses. South American literature celebrates and often idealizes them.

Maceration

The process of letting grape skins remain in contact with juice or wine in order to extract color, flavor and tannin. Red wines wouldn’t be read without maceration. Rosé wines were macerated for a few hours; deeply colored red wines were macerated for weeks.

Maipo Valley

Another of Chile’s preeminent wine regions, famous for Cabernet Sauvignon. This warm region sits just outside the capital city of Santiago. It is home to iconic producers such as Domus Aurea.

Malbec

A French red grape that made its way to Argentina in the mid-nineteenth century. It has become Argentina’s most important wine export. Ricardo Santos is famous for first exporting Malbec wines to the United States.

Mate

A staple of Argentine and Uruguayan social life. Mate is a green tea made from the yerba mate herb. It is not an uncommon sight for friends to pass a cup of mate to each other while having a conversation.

Maule Valley

The largest sub-region of Chile’s vast Central Valley. Commonly associated with bulk wine, it is now home to world-class examples of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and old-vine Carignan. Maule is cooler and more southerly than Colchagua and Maipo to the north.

Mendoza

Argentina’s largest and most important wine region, located at the foot of the Andes. Because Mendoza sits between 800 and 1200 meters (2600 and 3900 feet) above sea level, it is cool enough (but not too cool) for grapes to thrive. Irrigation is critical, but water is plentiful from melted Andes snow.

Mission

The name for the red wine grape Pais in the United States.

MOVI

An association of small, family-owned Chilean wineries who seek to draw attention to their artisanal bottlings.

Pais

The Chilean wine industry starts (but does not end) with the red grape Pais. Formerly used exclusively for bulk wines, careful growing and vinification has turned Pais into fine wine. Check out Gillmore Wines for a top example.

Tannat

A red grape native to southwest France that is to Uruguay what Malbec is to Argentina. Tannat wines are big and bold with dark berry fruit.

Terroir

Why does a Malbec from Mendoza have a different aroma and flavor than a Malbec from Napa Valley? One answer is terroir, the French term that encapsulates how a wine develops its unique qualities. Climate, soil and wind are key components of terroir.

Torrontés

A white grape that makes wildly fresh, aromatic wines. Grown mainly in Argentina, its finest expressions come from the cool, high-altitude Salta region. The altitude helps the wines retain their acidity without sacrificing their distinctive flavor.

VIGNO

An association of 16 Chilean wineries who seek to put Chile’s Maule Valley and its old-vine Carignan wines on the map. Members’ wines must be 1) a minimum of 65% Carignan; 2) farmed without irrigation; and 3) made from vines more than 30 years old.

Vitis Vinifera

The grapevine species behind 99% of the wines we see on store shelves. Malbec, Torrontés, Carignan and Carménère belong to Vitis Vinifera, to name a tiny few.

Zonda

A fierce wind that sweeps down the eastern slopes of the Andes toward the Mendoza wine-producing region. Most common in winter and spring, severe zonda winds can damage vines.

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.

When Argentine wine comes up in conversation, Malbec is usually the main topic. Mention Bonarda, another red grape, and eyes will almost immediately glaze over.

Which is odd, because Bonarda is the second most planted grape in Argentina after Malbec, representing nearly 10% of all grapes planted there.

Bonarda, like Malbec, is not native to Argentina. Bonarda is identical genetically to the Italian grape variety Charbono, which has a tenuous hold in California, but its numbers there are dropping fast in favor of more fashionable grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Charbono’s (Bonarda’s) fall in California is a bit of a shame, because it is difficult not to like. The best versions have a deep, inky color, soft tannins, plummy fruit, lower alcohol and enough acidity to freshen the palate. These wines epitomize refined easy drinking.

One reason why Bonarda wine is a mystery to most American wine drinkers (besides the name) is because most of it is consumed within Argentina, but thankfully the drop of Bonarda exports to the U.S. is now a trickle.

Producers such as Mendoza’s Tercos are leading the charge, crafting a vibrant Bonarda wine from one of the highest elevations in the Andes. The wine has no oak, giving the crisp, pure fruit a chance to sing.

If you’ve never had a Bonarda wine from Argentina, it’s reminiscent of a Cru Beaujolais with darker fruit and higher acid. Tercos is an excellent starting point.

Chilean Carignan is enjoying a well-deserved renaissance.

This red grape of Spanish origin has had a presence in Chile’s Maule Valley since at least the 1940s. The Ministry of Agriculture at the time believed that Carignan’s darker color and high acidity would enhance the region’s wines as a blending agent. They therefore decreed that it be planted widely.

Carignan has rarely if ever been considered a grape capable of producing a fine wine on its own, which is why it has so commonly been used for blending. Words such as “workhorse” and “rustic” are often used to describe the grape’s personality.

Carignan isn’t the easiest grape to work with after all. It is susceptible to disease, so a hot, dry climate is essential. Poor, well-draining soils are also a must as they help keep the vine’s yields in check. Badly managed, overproducing Carignan vines give rise to roughly tannic and unpleasantly acidic wines.

Historically, if the goal was to make a large quantity of average red wine, Carignan was a relatively easy choice.

In the latter decades of the twentieth century, Chilean Carignan fell out of favor as more fashionable and easier-to-work-with grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon cemented themselves in the country’s wine regions.

But the Maule Valley’s Carignan vines, some now pushing 50 years of age, simply waited in the wings. Patiently.

Slowly but surely, winemakers realized that Maule’s old vine Carignan was a treasure that needed careful nurturing. The Maule Valley had always had the requisite climate and soils for Carignan, but now the vines’ yields had naturally tapered off with age.

Then a group of Chilean wineries who believed in Carignan’s potential as a fine wine banded together to form VIGNO, an organization that champions and promotes the wines made from these gnarled old vines.

VIGNO members’ wines must be made from at least 65% old, unirrigated Carignan vines from Maule. At its best, old vine Carignan has solid but not bracing acidity and supple flavors reminiscent of fresh plum and raspberry. Tannins are firm but not coarse.

One of VIGNO’s founding members, Gillmore, is in the GVI Wines portfolio, and their wines beautifully illustrate how good (and affordable) Carignan can be. Because Carignan still lacks the cachet — but not the quality — of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, it can be enjoyed at prices that understate the immense pleasure it can provide.

2019 Gillmore Mariposa Carignan, $15.95

Gillmore’s 2019 Mariposa Carignan has very intense red fruit aromas and complex notes of earth, bay leaf and mint tones. Firm tannins and a juicy acidity give the wine a special personality. If you’re looking for an alternative to more traditional red wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, look no further.

2014 Gillmore Vigno Carignan, Maule Valley, $34.95

VIGNO is the soul of Gillmore, a 100% Carignan from 50-year-old estate vines. In the glass it has a deep red cherry color. On the nose it has intense red fruit aromas and complex notes of earth, bay leaf and mint tones. Firm tannins and juicy acidity give the wine a special personality.