Wine and Pizza
Okay, so its pizza night and you reach for that usual beer or soda. Why not mix things up a bit and pair that cheesy slice of heaven with a glass of wine instead. After all, wine is always a great compliment to many Italian dishes. Why should pizza be any different?
A popular pizza that is ordered on a pizza night is pepperoni, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Some of the wines that would pair well with this type of pizza should have a lower acid level. The reason for this is because there is already a high acid content in the tomato sauce. Wines that would compliment a pizza with tomato sauce would be a medium bodied wine.
Some great pairing choices would be a Cabernet Sauvignon, Italian Chianti, Syrah, Shiraz or a Zinfandel. The medium body of these wines will enhance the taste of the tomatoes in the sauce and can stand up to the spiciness of the pepperonis. Also with the wines being of medium body will not overpower the taste of the mozzarella cheese so the flavor can shine through.
White pizza is also becoming a more common type of pizza appearing on menus. Many may think pairing a wine with white pizza would be difficult, but it is the complete and total opposite. Since there are no tomatoes in the sauce, it opens up all kinds of wine pairing possibilities. Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato or even a sparkling wine would hold up well when paired with a white pizza.
Since the combinations of toppings and sauces on pizza are so diverse, the wine that is paired with it can be too. Do not worry about the so-called wine pairing rules when choosing a wine to go with a slice of your favorite pizza pie. White wine does not have to go with a white pizza and red wine does not have to go with a tomato sauce pizza. It comes down to which type of wine that you prefer with your favorite pizza. The combinations are as endless as the toppings adorning the pizza pie.
Regardless of ones favorite type of pizza or toppings, a wine does not have to be expensive to taste great when paired with a slice of pizza. After all, you should not have to spend more on your wine than what you spent on the pizza.