What Wine With Pizza? – The Ultimate Pizza and Wine Guide

Wine pairing with pizza is a combination made in heaven. There’s no simply no better way to describe it. Both items are great-tasting on their own, but together? Nothing short of exquisite. It reminds us of a doughnut pairing with ice cream. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been to every pizzeria in town; you haven’t experienced authentic pizza dining till you pair it with a complementary wine. Now, this begs the question – how do I know the wine to pair with my favorite pizza? We have some answers for you, and this is why you should continue reading.

Types of Pizzas and Complimentary Wine(s)

Wine pairings with pizza can be tricky, and that’s why you need some guidance. Combining any wine with your pizza won’t yield the desired result. Why? That’s a very good question. Just like pizzas, every wine has a unique flavor. If their flavors are not complementary to each other, they will fall short of the experience you’re expecting to have. So, sit back, relax, and let us indulge your taste for pizza and wine by discussing the ideal pizza wine pairings.

Sausage Pizza – Pinotage or Syrah

The sausage pizza is one of the favorite meals for people who love meaty treats. We like to call it the meat lover’s pizza. The rich presence of meat is precisely what makes this pizza a great pairing with bolder red wines such as Syrah and Pinotage. Interestingly, that’s not even the main reason sausage pizzas go so well with these full-bodied wines.

Sausage pizzas are spiced with oregano, thyme, anise, and fennel. On the other hand, Pinotage and Syrah have a similar constitution of olive, plum, blackberry, and blueberry. Its dark flavor matches perfectly with the spices used to season the sausage pizza. Ladies and gentlemen, this answers why this combo of pizza and wine will leave an unforgettable memory on your taste buds.

Margherita Pizza – Dry Rosé or Garnacha

We’re sure that lovers of this Neapolitan pizza have been dying to know the perfect wine(s) to go with the rich flavor of their favorite pizza. In case you haven’t noticed what we did in the first entry, there’s a formula to use when pairing pizza and wine. It’s quite simple, really – look at their flavors and what ingredients are used to make them.

In this case, the pizza we’re looking at is made with fresh basil, mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, garlic, and olive oil. Such a juicy constitution and its blend of different flavors will pair excellently with a dry wine like Dry Rosé. The black grape flavor of this wine makes it a great choice for the Margherita pizza. However, it’s not the only option for the perfect pairing. If you’re a stickler for red wines, Garnacha is another ideal wine complement. It’s a light red wine. Both wines have something in common – their distinct flavor is grape-based.

Pepperoni Pizza – Cabernet Franc or Sangiovese

Before we talk about this, let’s quickly establish two facts. Firstly, pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in America. Secondly, pepperoni pizza is arguably the most popular variety of pizza in America. So, it won’t be far-fetched to assume that many readers are looking forward to wines that will be ideal for pepperoni pizza pairings. We won’t disappoint you.

Let’s take a look at what makes pepperoni. We have cured meats, sugar, paprika, anise, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. The meat could be beef or pork, and it’s seasoned with the ingredients we just mentioned. Pepperoni also contains fat, which is why it can spread its bold flavors through the cheese on every slice. So what wine will do justice to a pizza with spicy flavors? Surely, not one with delicate flavors. You’ll need a strong wine to balance the bold pepperoni flavor. This is why French or Italian reds are the best bets for this wine and pizza pairing. For the former, no wine makes sense than Cabernet Franc. On the other hand, if you prefer Italian wines, the best pairing with this pizza is Sangiovese.

Cheese Pizza – GSM or Montepulciano

Cheese pizza is a favorite of many New Yorkers because of the taste of melted cheese in their mouths. Such a dining experience deserves the best wines to go with it. However, it’s not the cheese pizza itself that lends a clue on the wine to pair it with. Instead, it’s the red sauce that serves as the toppings. This sauce has a very strong flavor. So we should be looking at the best wine to match its intensity.

The best wine recommendations are GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre)or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. GSM is a great choice because it blends three varieties of grapes and their flavors into one. This provides the perfect match to balance the cheese pizza and sauce on your palette. Conversely, Montepulciano is a fruity dry wine with strong acidic flavors derived from plum, boysenberry, wild cherry, and blackberry.

Hawaiian Pizza – Lambrusco, Riesling, or Zinfandel

Hawaiian pizza is to Canadians what pepperoni pizza is to Americans. It’s prepared and topped with bacon or ham, pineapple, mozzarella cheese, and sauce from cherry tomatoes. That equals delicious. The ideal pairing for this meaty meal is the Riesling wine. This aromatic white wine has high acidity, and it’s the perfect palette cleanser.

If you prefer red wines to white wines, then Zinfandel is a good alternative to Riesling. Despite being less acidic, its robust flavor and dry feel are also a good balance for Hawaiian pizza. There’s a third option – Lambrusco. So, if you’re hosting a pizza night and Hawaiian pizza is on the menu, you have three pairing ideas to choose from.

White Pizza – Chardonnay or Pinot Noir

This kind of pizza is named so because it isn’t topped with red sauce. It’s made with garlic, olive oil, pizza dough, salt, and cheese. To get the best of the creamy cheese in this pizza, pair it with wine that combines well with cream. We’re talking about wines such as Pinot Noir. The French wine is sourced from the red grape variety of Vitis Vinifera.

Another wine that can do the job better than most is Chardonnay, also French in origin. This white wine was derived from the green-skinned grapes in Burgundy.

Salad Pizza – Grüner Veltliner, Sauvignon Blanc, or Verdejo

This list won’t be complete without a vegetarian pizza. This pizza was invented for pizza lovers who don’t want their indulgence to put them out of shape. It’s the best pizza for fitness enthusiasts. Don’t worry; we didn’t forget you guys. As you may have guessed already, we’ll pick a wine that combines well with the leafy flavors in your veggie pizza.

The first wine that comes to mind is the Grüner Veltliner. The Austrian drink is a white wine that tastes like a loose blend of tangy citrus, apricot, and grapefruit. Another option is the Sauvignon Blanc. The French wine is native to Bordeaux. Like the first wine, it belongs to the category of white wines. Its fruity taste is a blend of passion fruit, lime, green apple, and peach.

Lastly, you can combine the salad pizza with Verdejo. The Spanish white wine rounds up your list of options. Similar to others, it has a full-bodied feel in the mouth. Its combination of melon, apple, peaches, and pear makes it a worthy mention.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza – Malbec or Touriga Nacional

Excluding bbq chicken pizza from this interesting lineup will be an injustice. We all know the wonders a barbeque sauce can do on pizza, and this is our focal point. This begs the question – what wine will go best with this type of pizza? A fruity red wine is the best answer. This is where Malbec comes in. French wine is a red wine manufactured from purple grapes, which gives it its jammy flavor. It tastes like a seamless blend of raisin, raspberry, plum, black cherry, and pomegranate.

The second wine you can pair with the bbq chicken pizza is none other than Portugal’s finest wine – Touriga Nacional. Its leathery taste and dark flavor combine perfectly with the bbq sauce on your palette.

Anchovy Pizza – Alvarinho or Assyrtiko

Is there a better pizza for seafood lovers than this? We highly doubt that. Its rich, salty, and umami flavor comes out even stronger when prepared with oregano, capers, tomatoes, and fresh garlic. To do justice to this wine, pair it with Assyrtiko, the Greek white wine. This drink is manufactured from sun-dried grapes and tastes like citrus, saline, flint, and passionfruit. If you can’t lay your hands on Assyrtiko, the next best thing is Alvarinho, the Galician white wine. It embodies a blend of peach and apricot.

Conclusion

Knowing what you know now, your pizza dining experience should never remain the same. With the perfect glass of the right wine, you can elevate the taste of your favorite pizza to uncharted heights. Remember that the ingredients used in making your pizza and their flavors will tell you all you need to know and the wine to pair with.