One of the things we love doing at the Wine Club Reviews is providing wine and food pairings for you. ֿ
Wine and food matching is a big part of the wine tasting experience. Understanding how to better match your wine club wines with foods that will enhance their flavors will help you get the most out of your wine club membership.
Today we are going to be looking at the best wine pairings for pizza. Now obviously your wine match is going to depend on the type of pizza you are eating. There are too many different types of pizzas out there, all with a range of toppings for us to mention.
In this article, we will be looking at the most popular pizza choices in the USA and be giving some suggestions for the best wine matches for those pizzas. If you have a look at the following guidelines, you will be able to select some lovely complementary wines for your next pizza night!
Best wine pairings for cheese pizza:
A cheese pizza is generally not a pizza with overwhelming flavors, so you will want to select a wine that is light but aromatic to go well with it. The tomato sauce offers a medium level of acidity, and there will also be an oily component from the cheese, though the tomato sauce will be the focal point of the wine pairing. For the best matching wines, you will want a medium bodied wine with enough tannins to cut through the fat of the cheese, but you will want to avoid the full-bodied reds as their flavors and tannins will be too powerful for the simple flavors of this pizza. Perfect for this type of pizza would be something along the lines of a Pinot Noir or a Montepulciano.
Best wine pairings for pepperoni pizza:
A pepperoni pizza is a pizza that provides strong flavors with a good level of spiciness. Pepperoni is a popular choice in America for a pizza topping, and it is generally made with cured beef and pork along with an array of spices that include cayenne pepper, anise and garlic powder. The pepperoni will be the overriding flavor in every bite. To make sure you balance out the strong flavors of the pepperoni you will want a wine that has rich and fruity flavors. When it comes to red wine, something like a Sangiovese or a Syrah is perfect. If you prefer white wine, a good choice would be a Sauvignon Blanc. Its high citrus content should be perfect for the strong and spicy meat flavors of the pepperoni.
Best wine pairings for Hawaiian pizza:
A pizza that is uniquely American is the Hawaiian pizza. (It is not a pizza that the Italians can even pretend to accept!) The wonderful combination of the sweetness of the pineapple and the saltiness of the ham make it one of the most popular pizzas in America.
When it comes to your best wine pairing for a Hawaiian pizza, one of our favourite wine matches is a Riesling. The sweetness of the Riesling works perfectly with the pineapple to bring out the warm sweetness of the pineapple, fresh out of the oven. Then the acidity content will help to cut through the fattiness of the cheese and ham. The Riesling is also a great palate cleanser. Other wines that would work well would be a Prosecco or Sauvignon Blanc. We would recommend that you avoid the stronger full-bodied reds with a Hawaiian pizza as they tend to drown out the lovely flavors of this pizza.
Best wine pairings for white pizza:
A white pizza is one of the richest and most indulgent pizza selections you can choose. Generally, it is made using ricotta or mozzarella with a bechamel sauce and then topped with a range of herbs. White pizzas don’t have the acidity of normal pizzas due to the lack of red sauce. However, they have a high-fat content due to the cheese and white cream sauce that is used. You will want to select wines that enhance the creaminess of the cheeses and work well with the fresh herby toppings that are generally used. In this instance we love champagne; it is a surprisingly good match for pizza as it will never overwhelm your palate and it matches well with the creaminess of a white pizza. Other good matches are a Pinot Noir or a Chardonnay both of which have naturally creamy notes in their wine that will work beautifully with the creamy toppings of this pizza.
We hope that these guidelines will help you on the road to matching your pizzas and wines. Just remember to focus on the toppings, and a good place to start is the dominant flavor of the pizza. Match the wine with that flavor, and you are sure to have a tasty combination that will work well to bring out the best in both your pizza and your wine.
