Pairing wine and pizza: how to do it best

To each food its drink... What to drink when you eat pizza?

Enjoying your favorite food is a pleasure that improves your day and mood, but perfection is achieved when the dish is combined with the most suitable drink to enhance its flavours.

When you eat pizza, undoubtedly one of the most loved dishes, you decide to accompany it with beer, sparkling drinks or wine: the latter combination may seem the most unusual but, in reality, it represents the option chosen by the 8% of Italians.

Can wine be paired with pizza?

Although unusual, the pairing of wine with pizza is correct from an organoleptic point of view and, once tried, it can be truly surprising: just follow a few general rules, the first of which refers to the "richness" of the toppings present in the Pizza.

The simplest preparations, in which the flavor is dominated by the acidity of the tomato, can be accompanied by white wines or lightly structured reds, while those that contain numerous ingredients lend themselves to being combined with more fragrant and complex wines.

How to pair wine with pizza

In principle, it is better to avoid highly tannic red wines which, being "dry", accentuate the minimal succulence of the pizza, causing a sensation of dryness on the palate.

Instead, white wines, rosés or sparkling wines, fresh and light, are more suitable; for the same reason, if you prefer red wine, it is better to opt for a medium-bodied product.

The most current trend indicates the union of pizza with the world of bubbles: therefore sparkling wines, prosecco - and even champagne - are used to accompany every type of pizza.

Beyond the fashions of the moment and the general rules, the choice of wine to drink when eating pizza is, however, linked to personal taste and experimenting with different combinations remains the most effective method for identifying the wine most pleasing to the individual palate.

Pairing examples

The timeless "Margherita", with its acidic component given by the prevalence of tomatoes, finds its ideal combination with a slightly fruity wine, such as Chardonnay; its simple and special taste can also be emphasized by a Barbera or a Pinot noir, excellent wines also with the "Marinara", in which garlic often takes the upper hand.

Pizzas richer in ingredients, such as the "Capricciosa" and the "Quattro Stagioni", should be accompanied by a wine with an important structure and complex aromas - such as Sangiovese - or even with an "orange" such as Ribolla Gialla, made from white but with an unusual color because it is vinified and macerated for a long time, like a red.

The spiciness of the "Diavola" goes ideally with Amarone della Valpolicella, a wine in which the fruity notes and the final robustness soften the impact of the palate with the salami, giving a taste experience full of character.

The delicate naturalness of the "Ortolana" pizza, on the other hand, can be combined with a prestigious white sparkling wine, such as Franciacorta, or a still rosé such as Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC.

Finally, how to mitigate the sapidity and fatness of the "Quattro Formaggi" with a wine? Combining its decisive flavor with the freshness of a rich and noble white, such as Greco di Tufo or Vermentino, but also limiting its exuberance with a Pinot Spumante "Brut" and its thousand bubbles.

Useful tips to enjoy a good pizza in company

You can combine pizza with wine when you dine at a restaurant, perhaps asking for advice from the sommelier, but you can also do it at home, experimenting with family or friends with one of the most creative and gratifying activities of domestic gastronomy: that of personally preparing pizza, using the right tools.

Thanks to the very high temperatures reached and maintained by the Spice electric ovens in the internal chamber, pizza is always cooked to perfection, even if several pizzas have to be made in sequence.

And if you want to organize a dinner in the garden, you can choose to use the Diavola 16 gas oven, specifically designed for outdoor use, which perfectly replicates the cooking system of professional ovens.

After that, all that remains is to choose the wine to accompany the pizza prepared with your own hands and share an original, unprecedented and never banal experience with your guests.