Wine and Pizza Night

 

Here’s what I have to say about wine and pizza: It’s wine, and it’s pizza. What’s not to love? However, not everyone agrees with my “a wine for every pizza” refrain. Even in the land of the adventurous foodie, many most people still prefer beer with pizza. But trust me, an incredible wine-and-pizza pair is possible...just heed the following advice!

 

The bottom line when it comes to pizza is this: It’s what’s on top that counts! The trick to matching pizza with wine is to consider the topping. The pizza itself is just bread, which wine tasters can use to cleanse their palates. So it’s not the dough, it’s the topping that will affect your wine choice. Read on, and find some tips for taming your favorite topping.

 

 

With lighter, meatless pizzas, such as those topped with basil pesto, squash blossoms or roasted bell peppers, try a crisp white with fruity, herbal, and perhaps pine-nutty flavors. Such wines will blend fabulously with the light, herbal, vegetal flavors topping the pizza and won’t overpower the lighter flavors resting atop the dough. 

 

Choose a wine with a good zing of acidity…after all, even vegetarian pizzas have plenty of cheese, and your palate will appreciate the refreshing, cleansing affect of the acid. Look for wines with flavors of citrus, fresh herbs, green bell pepper, almonds, or pine nuts. There are many inexpensive New World white wines that will fit the bill, including Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chenin Blanc. If you would like to take this opportunity to explore some of the amazing, diverse, and highly artisanal white wines of Italy, look for Arneis, Soave, or Est! Est!! Est!!!.   

 

The classic Neapolitan pie, the Margherita, is the most popular pizza in most upscale pizzerias. Traditionally made on a very thin crust, the topping consists of a thin layer of crushed, sliced, or purred tomatoes, a few slices of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and olive oil. The acidity of the tomatoes and the creamy tang of the cheese can rob the grandeur from big, bold wines, so save the aged Cabernets and the Barolo for another occasion. 

 

The best wines for Margherita Pizza are simple, fruit-driven, soft textured reds, or full-bodied, richly fruited whites. If you are in the mood for a white wine, try a Lodi Viognier or an Oregon Pinot Gris. My favorite Italian white wine of all time, Gavi di Gavi, is another great choice for the white wine lover. Thankfully, Italy is full of fruity red wines, so grab your favorite Primitivo, Barbera, or Dolcetto and settle in for a fabulous feast.  

 

 

If you add sausage, salami, cold cuts, or pepperoni to your pizza, you need more than ever to have a good deal of acidity in your wine. Your palate (and quite possibly your belly) will need it to cut through the richness of the gooey, dripping pizza…acidity is the key ingredient in a wine that will allow it to stand up to the richness of the fatty meats and baked dough, not to mention the cheese!

 

You also want to up the scales when it comes to the weight or texture of the wine, and for best results, stick to red wines. However, keep it on the fruity side…we don’t need any bitterness or richly tannic wines here. Instead, look for full-bodied, intensely fruity red wines with a sturdy zing of acidity. You have an endless supply of new world Zinfandel, Merlot, and Shiraz to choose from, but if you’d like to keep it an all-Italy night reach for a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo  or Nero d’Avola. You’ll be glad you did!