Perfect Pizza and Wine Pairings

March 12, 2024 By Carlo Salvatore Food Pairings

Elevating Your Pizza Experience

While beer has long been the traditional beverage paired with pizza, wine can elevate your pizza experience to new heights when paired correctly. The right wine can complement the flavors in your pizza, enhance the dining experience, and transform a casual meal into something special.

At Salvatore Pizza, we believe in celebrating the Italian tradition of enjoying good food with good wine. In this guide, we'll share our expertise on pairing wines with different pizza styles, focusing on combinations that bring out the best in both.

The Basics of Pizza-Wine Pairing

Before diving into specific pairings, it's helpful to understand a few fundamental principles:

Consider the dominant flavor: Is your pizza tomato-forward, cheese-heavy, loaded with vegetables, or dominated by meat?
Match intensity: Pair bold, flavorful pizzas with robust wines; lighter pizzas with more delicate wines.
Acidity is your friend: Wines with good acidity cut through the richness of cheese and complement tomato sauce.
Think regionally: Italian wines often pair naturally well with pizza, as they've evolved alongside Italian cuisine.

With these principles in mind, let's explore specific pairings for popular pizza styles.

A Salvatore Pizza wine and pizza tasting event

Classic Margherita Pairings

The Margherita pizza—with its simple composition of tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil—serves as an excellent starting point for wine pairing. Its clean, balanced flavors work with a variety of wines.

Recommended Pairings for Margherita Pizza:

Chianti Classico: This Tuscan red's bright acidity and cherry notes complement the tomato sauce while its moderate tannins balance the creamy mozzarella.
Dry Rosé: The versatility of rosé makes it perfect for Margherita. It has enough body to stand up to the cheese while refreshing the palate with each bite.
Pinot Grigio: For white wine lovers, a crisp Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy offers refreshing acidity that cuts through the cheese beautifully.

Pepperoni and Meat Lovers Pairings

When your pizza features spicy, fatty meats like pepperoni, sausage, or bacon, you need a wine that can stand up to these bold flavors while cutting through the richness.

Recommended Pairings for Meat-Heavy Pizzas:

Zinfandel: California Zinfandel's bold fruit flavors and spice notes make it an ideal match for pepperoni pizza. The wine's jammy richness complements the spicy, smoky flavors of the meat.
Barbera d'Alba: This Italian red has high acidity and moderate tannins, which cut through the fattiness of the meat while complementing the tomato sauce.
Syrah/Shiraz: The peppery notes in Syrah echo the spices in the meat toppings, while its full body stands up to the richness of a meat lover's pizza.

Vegetable and White Pizza Pairings

Vegetable pizzas offer a range of flavors from earthy mushrooms to sweet bell peppers. White pizzas (without tomato sauce) typically feature creamy, garlic-infused bases. Both styles benefit from specific wine matches.

Recommended Pairings for Vegetable and White Pizzas:

Sauvignon Blanc: The herbaceous quality of Sauvignon Blanc makes it a natural companion to vegetable pizzas, especially those with bell peppers, artichokes, or herbs.
Vermentino: This Italian white wine's mineral character and citrus notes complement the earthiness of mushroom pizzas beautifully.
Chardonnay: For white pizzas with creamy sauces, a lightly oaked Chardonnay echoes the buttery flavors while providing enough acidity to cut through the richness.
Grüner Veltliner: This Austrian white has a distinctive peppery note that pairs wonderfully with vegetable toppings and the slight bitterness of greens like arugula.

"Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."

— Andre Simon, Wine Writer

Specialty Pizza Pairings

Some of our specialty pizzas at Salvatore Pizza have unique flavor profiles that call for specific wine pairings.

Recommended Pairings for Specialty Pizzas:

BBQ Chicken Pizza: The sweet and smoky BBQ sauce pairs wonderfully with Zinfandel or a jammy Malbec, which can match the sauce's intensity while complementing the chicken.
Seafood Pizza: For pizzas topped with shrimp, clams, or other seafood, look to crisp whites like Vermentino, Albariño, or Pinot Grigio that echo the coastal regions where these ingredients are commonly found.
Pesto Pizza: The herbal, nutty flavors of pesto call for Sauvignon Blanc or a light, unoaked Chardonnay that won't overpower the delicate basil flavors.
Spicy Pizza (with chili flakes or hot peppers): Off-dry Riesling provides a cooling counterpoint to spicy toppings, with its slight sweetness balancing the heat.

Dessert Pizza Pairings

For those who enjoy ending their meal with a sweet dessert pizza—topped with ingredients like Nutella, fruit, or cinnamon—there are perfect wine companions as well.

Recommended Pairings for Dessert Pizzas:

Chocolate or Nutella Pizza: Ruby Port or Banyuls (a fortified sweet wine from France) offers complementary chocolate and berry notes.
Fruit-Topped Pizza: Late-harvest Riesling or Moscato d'Asti provides the right level of sweetness while adding refreshing qualities.
Cinnamon and Sugar Pizza: Tawny Port's caramel and spice notes make it a natural match for cinnamon flavors.

Hosting a Pizza and Wine Pairing Party

Want to explore these pairings with friends? Here are some tips for hosting a successful pizza and wine pairing event:

Offer variety: Serve 3-4 different pizza styles with their suggested wine pairings.
Start light: Begin with lighter pizzas and wines, then move to more robust options.
Portion appropriately: Small slices of each pizza allow guests to try multiple combinations.
Provide tasting notes: Create simple cards explaining why each pairing works.
Encourage experimentation: Allow guests to mix and match to discover their own perfect pairings.

The Joy of Discovery

While we've provided guidelines for classic pairings, remember that wine pairing is ultimately subjective. The best pairing is always the one that brings you the most pleasure. We encourage you to experiment, trust your palate, and discover your own perfect matches.

At Salvatore Pizza, we believe food is meant to be enjoyed in good company, with good wine, and without too many rules. The next time you order from us, consider picking up a bottle based on our recommendations—you might discover a combination that elevates your pizza night from a casual meal to a memorable dining experience.