Once I have been asked which is the best wine to go with Pizza.
My answer was: “The best wine for Pizza is beer ©”. I am still truly convinced of what I said.
However, there are several wines that do pair well with Pizza and usually they are wines produced in southern Italy or in other warm areas of the world. Pizza is a very simple dish prepared with flour, water, yeast and condiments. A common aspect in all traditional pizzas is saltiness. Other common ingredients are tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Every single one of these base ingredients is typical of the Mediterranean countries.
According to a the very simple wine-pairing rule that I have often mentioned in this website, if you pick wine and recipe from the same area they will probably go very well together. This statement is very true in this particular case.
Pizza is from Campania and in southern Italy all wines are very mineral, high in acidity and rich in fruity aromas. If there is a wine that goes extremely well with Pizza, that is Primitivo or Zinfandel. Primitivo offers plenty of fruit, minerality and acidity with an underlying bitter flavour that balances perfectly almost every pizza profile. Generally speaking, Pizza is a simple dish and needs to be enjoyed with a simple wine.
Here is a Pizza-wine pairing table that will help you select the perfect wine for every pizza:
PIZZA |
WINE |
Pizza Margherita |
Primitivo (Zinfandel), Aglianico, Nero d’Avola, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo |
Pizza al Prosciutto and Mushrooms |
Young Chianti, dry Lambrusco, all of the above |
Pizza with Sausages |
Nero d’Avola, fresh Barbera, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo |
Neapolitan Pizza (anchovies) |
Aglianico, Primitivo |
Four Cheeses Pizza |
Aglianico, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, other rustic reds |
Pizza with Arugula |
Greco di Tufo, Fiano d’Avellino, most robust southern Italian’s whites, Aglianico |
Pizza with Tuna and Onions |
Same as above, Nero d’Avola |
White Pizzas (eggplants, truffle, artichokes, etc) |
Barbera, Chianti, Dolcetto, Aglianico |
Spicy Pizzas (general category) |
Primitivo (Zinfandel), Catarratto, Inzolia (Sicilian spicy white varietals) |
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