Best Wines To Pair With Pizza

People ask us all the time, " What wine should I pair with my pizza"? Our response, is always first: what kind of pizza are you having a what wine do you enjoy drinking? The first rule is to drink what you like! Sometimes folks fetish a bit much surrounding wine and food pairings. That said, there are some pairings which do truly amplify the deliciousness of both pizza and wine. Often folks believe that pizza should be always served with red wine, and if that's your thing, you be you. However, we think you are missing out on some illuminating pleasures of the table. Take for example a white pizza with fresh basil and fennel sausage: you can absolutely pair that with a wide variety of red wines but we think that a white wine would sing with a slice of that pie. Generally speaking, we prefer lighter reds and whites with most pizza. The richness and saltiness of pizza, in our opinion, demands a lighter refreshing wine to slake one's thirst.

Below, are our favorite wine and pizza pairings: 

Plain Cheese Pizza: We think the red wines of Piedmont are perfect with a plain pie. Barbera, Dolcetto, and Nebbiolo work very well. They have the acid to compliment that snap of tomato sauce.

Plain White Pizza:  A crisp mineral white wine like a Sancerre, Chablis, or Gavi work great with the subtle flavors of a white pizza. Also, Grignolino, a rare northern Italian red grape variety, is also a great pairing. Grignolino has tart red berry flavors, no tannin and benefits from a nice little chill. 

Pepperoni Pizza: Spicy food and red wine don't mix, we think a dry to off dry Riesling is the perfect pairing for any pie with a little kick. We would open this wine from Peter Lauer with our Pepperoni Pie or this one from Seehof.