The Wines and Cultures of South America’s Southern Cone

Talks and Tastings by Rico Paul Vallejos

Vino y Cacao (Wine & Cocoa)

The ChocoVino wine & chocolate tasting at 2025 CineLatino was a great way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! My gratitude to attendees, volunteers, and all interested in this event. Here are links to the featured chocolates: Cacao Ítaca, Inkakaw, Tie Dye Dragonfly Cacao, and B'beri Desserts.

Wine Pairing Guide for Dark Chocolate

Working with a definition of “dark chocolate” as chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% and above, for pairing purposes I like to separate the chocolates into two groups: 70%-85% and above 85%. A key principle is for the wine to be fruitier and sweeter than the chocolate, enhancing the cocoa’s natural richness. With less fruit-forward wines, higher alcohol content will help, ideally 15% and above. (I am excluding fortified wines in this guide.)

With dark chocolates with 70% to 85% cocoa content, look for a red wine described as full-bodied, fruit-forward, jammy, with low to moderate tannins, and concentrated dark berry and spice notes. Examples:

  • Malbec from Argentina, look for fruit-forward bottles both from Mendoza and Salta provinces. Other Malbecs are not as reliable for this purpose.

  • Red Zinfandel from California. I love those made with old vines from Lodi and Paso Robles (and if aged in bourbon barrels, even better!)

  • Primitivo, the Italian version of Red Zinfandel, often described as slightly more rustic, earthy, savory.

  • Bonarda: I’m so glad that we finally have Bonardas available at most wine shops in the U.S.! Often described as an “exotic Merlot,” this Argentine red can be an ideal pairing for this level of dark chocolate.

  • The right rich, fruit-driven Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, HOWEVER, there are too many of them with such low quality (regardless of the price point) that may prove disappointing with dark chocolate pairings. I had my share (just one sip) of such undrinkable reds at events. So why list them? As a cautionary note, and because we did have a Cab Sauv at the tasting (a 2022 Zuccardi Q from Argentina) which paired very well.

Some more keywords to look for in descriptions and reviews: upfront fruitiness, fresh red and black fruit, cherry, blueberry, plum, raspberry,  blackberry, plum, cinnamon, pepper, spice, allspice, licorice, chocolate, cocoa, sweet tobacco, vibrant and juicy acidity, bright acidity.

Tasting the pairing

  1. Initial observation: Visual and smell, both chocolate and wine. At this point, you may want to follow the full tasting steps for wines, ending with your first sip to coat your mouth.

  2. Take a small bite of chocolate, let it melt in your mouth a little, and chew once or twice.

  3. Take a sip of wine and keep chewing, feeling how the flavors explode in your mouth.

  4. Rinse (with another sip of wine) and repeat.

FYI, here’s the list of wines we had at the tasting, generously donated by a CineLatino friend:

  • Malbec: 2022 Catena (Argentina)

  • Bonarda: 2020 Zuccardi (Argentina)

  • Cabernet Sauvignon: 2022 Zuccardi Q (Argentina)

  • Primitivo (Italian equivalent to Red Zinfandel): 2022 Orion (Salento, Famiglia Falvo, Masseria Li Veli) and 2021 Electric Bee (Salento)

The darkest of the dark: Above 85 and into the 90s

Check back for guidance on wine pairings for dark chocolates with cocoa content above 85%, to be published after the DECADENCE pairing event (date TBD, email me if interested in attending).

Culture, language, and wine

After studying cultural anthropology and sociolinguistics in Europe (and tasting wines while there), Argentina-born Rico's life became all about language and culture, both personally and professionally.

An educator and communicator at heart, he is a sought-after keynote speaker and MC, a Certified Trainer with the Hispanic Wealth Project, and a Certified Translator by the American Translators Association. He's also a Toastmaster and an award-winning advertising copywriter.

As a wine enthusiast, he specializes in South American wines, with a focus on wines from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. He has toured the wine regions and visited dozens of vineyards in the three countries numerous times, visits the region every year, and loves sharing the lovely culture and wines he experiences there.

Book Rico

Why Beyond Malbec? Because there is so much more…

SAMPLE AGENDA

1. Welcome pour. Rico shares on South America's Southern Cone: geography, languages, and cultures.

2. Second pour, and more on the wines of South America.

3. Third pour, and a little Conversational Spanish.

4. Fourth pour, more on cultures, languages, and wines.

5. More pours, more Conversational Spanish, and Q&A. The conversation continues in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.

“I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your presentation of The Wines, Culture and Language of South America's Southern Cone. Outstanding and entertaining! I learned so much in a short amount of time, and your delivery was deft and humorous--not like a lecture or talk at all. The wines were delicious and filled a huge gap in my wine knowledge...”

— Deborah L.

“Rico's entertaining presentation made the wines even more enjoyable!”

— Kim T.

I loved attending the recent wine and chocolate tasting at Cine Latino. Rico’s knowledge of wine, the charisma and enthusiasm he brings to event are all projected at a wonderful pace where the audience feels at ease and enjoy themselves. I had an amazing time. Thank you!

-Paola N.-O.

“I had never heard about some of those wines, but now they are among my favorite go-to reds!”

— John L.

“These carefully curated South American wines are not only delicious but also a bargain, offering significantly more value than their price points suggest..”

— Tim B.

“Thanks to Rico's tasting event, we now have a favorite summer white!”

— Susan R.

“The Latin American wine tasting was very enjoyable and interesting. Our friends loved Rico's wine selection and his knowledge of Latin American vineyards.”

— R. Cal.