The Perfect Wine and Pizza Pairings

Wine with pizza is like beer with fish and chips… it’s just meant to be. Whether you’re eating midweek delivery or dining at a fancy pizzeria, there are a multitude of wines that will match your meal. Here are some classic pizzas paired with wine.

White Pizza
WINE: Pinot Noir or Chardonnay
WHY: White pizza divorces itself from the traditional red sauce and opens you up to two terrific wines that love the ‘white stuff’. Cream-based dishes elevate the natural ‘creamy’ notes to both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (which, by the way, is brought about through a secondary fermentation called Malolactic). Of course many wines go well with cream, but both Pinot and Chardonnay show some particularly good affinities to the green herbs (like tarragon) that are often scattered on top of your pie.

Margherita Pizza
WINE: Garnacha or Dry Rosé
WHY: With its aromatic notes of fresh basil and the use of other lightly flavored fresh ingredients (tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella), a rosé is the perfect Margherita pizza wine pairing. Of course, if you’re a red wine-only type of drinker, Garnacha is going to work well too. When deciding whether or not you’re going to have a red, white or rosé, sometimes it’s more about your environment. Still, with something lightly flavored like a Margherita Pizza, stick to lighter reds as a starting point.

Pepperoni Pizza
WINE: Sangiovese or Cabernet Franc
WHY: Pepperoni is a very strong flavor and in America it is made with cured beef and pork mashed together with a variety of spices including cayenne pepper, anise, garlic powder, paprika and sugar. Because of the fat content of pepperoni, it imbues its flavor throughout the cheese on every slice. You’ll need a strong wine with intense flavors to counterbalance ‘the pepperoni effect’. Sangiovese is a classic choice as the most popular red grape of Italy, and Cabernet Franc is a surprisingly good alternative.