Imagine that you’re craving pizza and wine but then you ask yourself, what wine goes with pizza? Beer is often served with pizza and that seems to be the most suitable pair but once you try pizza with wine, you may never go back. In this article, we give you an easy guide to what wines taste amazing with pizzas.
Wine with pizza is like cookie and cream or beer with a bucket of wings – they simply go well together.
Pizza originated from Italy and Italians love wine so it’s just but natural for these to experience together.
There are many kinds of pizza varieties, some classic and some, people might say, an abomination to the pizza culture. Regardless, these special pies are great with a plethora of wine.
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Here are our best picks of wine for pizza.
1. Riesling
Earlier we mentioned that there are some classic pizzas and some that are an abomination to pizza lovers. Here, friends, as you might guess, is the infamous Hawaiian pizza. Pineapple is grown in abundance in Hawaii and we love it. But do we all love it in pizza?
Pizza typically is flat-ish bread with a nice crust, slathered with tomato puree, mozzarella cheese and basil or some meat. The bottom line is that it is meant to be savory and adding sweet and tangy pineapple to it kind of changes the dynamics of the flavor. Whether you love it or not, Hawaiian pizza goes well with at least something you might love, which is the Riesling.
Slight sweet Riesling is actually very delicious with bacon. After all, Hawaiian pizza isn’t only about pineapple. It’s also about the delicious cured bacon, mozzarella cheese and fantastic pizza dough. Riesling counters the saltiness of the bacon and enhances the flavor of the pineapple.
If you’re a Hawaiian pizza lover, you’ll be in Nirvana with this pairing. If you’re not a Hawaiian lover, pairing the infamous pizza with Riesling might just make you appreciate it more.
2. Pinot Grigio
Margherita pizza is the most classic pizza you’ll ever have. It is simply beautiful pizza dough with tomato puree, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.
The pizza is perfumed with the aroma of basil and melted cheese, which makes a nice, and light Pinot Grigio balance to the meal. The Pinot Grigio has zesty notes that enhance the flavors of the cheese and makes the basil shine.
3. Chardonnay
If you’re not into meaty pizza and you still to your roasted vegetables on cheesy pie, Chardonnay would be the best kind of wine to have with your meal.
Chardonnay’s subtleness doesn’t compete with the delicate flavors of the vegetables and its ideal acidity is just enough to enrich the flavors of the vegetable pizza with the cheese.
4. Pinot Noir
If you love the non-traditional pizza that is cream-based, aka The White Pizza, Pinot Noir would be excellent with it.
Pinot Noir is great for cream-based food because its notes elevate the creaminess of the dish, tweaking the richness of the cream into something absolutely enjoyable even in the last bite.
5. Sangiovese
One of the most beloved pizza flavors of all time is the pepperoni pizza. In Italy, pepperoni pizza is sometimes known as Diavola. It’s not exactly the same kind of pepperoni sausage in the pizza but it’s the same concept and almost the same flavors.
Pepperoni and other kinds of salami are quite powerful in flavor, making them delicious toppings for the subtler tomato-cheese-dough combo of pizza.
To balance the spices of pepperoni and salami, a rich fruity wine would go great with the pizza, which is Sangiovese! The fruit, subtle savory notes and moderate acidity of Sangiovese cuts through the saltiness of pepperoni.
6. Cabernet Sauvignon
A meaty pizza is present in any place, in any form, with any type of meat. We love a good meat lover’s pizza and we love it more with a great tasting wine to balance all that meat.
Having a pizza full of meat means the pizza is rich and hearty. To balance these flavors in your mouth, you ought to have it with a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that never fails with meat.
The tannic levels elevate the flavors of the meat in your mouth and it cuts through the fat making each bite just as enjoyable as the first.
7. Rosé
We love a good rosé because it’s brightness and fruity delicate flavors just go so perfectly well on a hot summer day. It also goes so well with Margherita pizza and more delicate tasting pizzas like con funghi and vegetable pizzas.
