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Obviously, pizza and beer always seem like a winning pick, given it’s the most solid couple in history, but did you know several wines can complement a slice even better?
Maybe it’s the pretentious labels, confusing words or the fact nobody carries around a corkscrew that has kept this not-so-little truth from you, but our wine picks for your favorite pies will take pizza night to a whole new level. Pairing the proper vino with your preferred pie is no cakewalk, though. To make it easier, we’ve created a handy cheat sheet for pairing your favorite sauce with the right sauce. (See what we did there?)
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PizzaWinePair
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Hawaiian Pizza / Riesling
Look, there's very few instances where Riesling is the right call. It's excessively sweet, like a wine-flavored Jolly Rancher, except with a syrupy quality reminiscent of the cough medicine your mom would force down your throat as a kid.
Having said that, if you're going to put pineapple on pizza (you may need to seek medical help), but this is a match made in heaven. Not only will it counteract the saltiness of the ham, it will make the pineapple pop like you're drinking the nectar straight from the jug, if you're into that sort of thing.
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Four Cheese White Pizza / Pinot Grigio
A dry, full-bodied wine boasting undercurrents of pepper and arugula is the ideal pick to stand up to the decadence of a four-cheese white pizza.
Pinot Grigio also has distinct floral aromas like honeysuckle and ripe pear to engage the senses and round out the richness of ricotta and oil. Let each sip languish over sharp cheeses and enjoy a flavor experience you could never get with a barley-based beer.
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Buffalo Chicken Pizza / Sauvignon Blanc
The crispness of Sauvignon Blanc, however pretentious sounding, typically with notes of fresh green apple, lime, and white peach, offers cooling refreshment against the zip of buffalo sauce and snap of acidity from red onion, while perfectly complementing the grilled chicken.
The grassy elements also act as a palate cleanser between bites, leaving nothing for your side of creamy dressing to do. But if you still want to partake in a dipping sauce, you're in luck because this varietal also pairs well with ranch or blue cheese.
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Spinach Pizza / Chardonnay
Popularized by The Real Housewives of Wherever, Chardonnay sometimes gets a bad rap for being too dry, but its buttery essence beautifully balances the bitterness of spinach while adding softness from its bursts of citrus and vanilla.
Oakier than most whites, Chardonnay works equally well with salad pizzas, conveniently popularized by the same girls who watch those "real" housewives.
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Prosciutto Pizza / Rosé
There's nothing like a chilled glass of rosé and a charcuterie board. This lip-smacking pink liquid is an effervescent elixir to accompany cured meats, making it the perfect choice for a prosciutto pizza.
Fruity and floral notes cut the salt and fat while imparting lushness, thanks to its ripe rhubarb essence. It also features fresh greens like celery on its final foray across your palate for added refreshment. Mwah!
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BBQ Chicken Pizza / Pinot Noir
The sauce on a BBQ chicken pizza is tangy and bold, so you don't want a wine that will compete with those big flavors.
Pinot Noir is bright and juicy to quench your thirst while adding subtle hints of spice, strawberries, and ripe black cherry to whet your appetite for the next bite. Often earthy at the finish, this unassuming red can stand up to flavors without overpowering them.
Photo: Lauri Patterson (Getty Images)
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Margherita Pizza / Syrah
Syrah can range in taste from luscious blueberry to savory black olive, taking a simple margherita pie to the next level as it both enhances the milkiness of mozzarella and subdues the sweetness plum tomato sauce.
Slight smacks of pepper and currant also add a robust element to this otherwise uncomplicated dish.
Photo: Hidehiro Kijawa (Getty Images)
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Greek Pizza / Merlot
The movie Sideways slammed this vino as undrinkable swill, and following its release, the wine industry saw a significant decline in the sales of Merlot, a testament to both Paul Giamatti's stellar acting and the impressionable masses.
But Merlot has its place, and for our purposes, that's paired with the pungent pop of feta on a Greek pizza. Deep plum, blackberry, and dark chocolate notes take the edge off crumbly cheese and Kalamata olives, creating a sweet and savory balance that deserves rave reviews.
Photo: Lauri Patterson (Getty Images)
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Sicilian Pizza / Malbec
Almost as jammy as a Zinfandel, but less tannic than a Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec is a fruity, full-bodied wine with a sharper flavor than most reds. Rich stone fruits at the forefront of this wine heighten the robust flavors of a Sicilian pie, adding dimension to strong cheeses like caciocavallo and toma and intense toppings such as anchovies.
This deep, inky-colored potion also helps break down the thickness of the dough, acting as a digestif so you can stuff more pizza in your pie hole.
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Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza / Tempranillo
Similar to a Sangiovese, Tempranillos are easy drinking and sublime with any tomato sauce, augmenting its sweetness while smoothing out the acidity.
Undercurrents of cedar, dill, and clove also make this unique wine's presence known without subduing the flavor of the pizza. But you'll already have your work cut out for you with any deep dish alone.
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Spicy Soppressata Pizza / Grenache
The heat and salt of soppressata are cut by the medium-bodied sweetness of Grenache as candied red fruits coax out richer flavors and hints of white pepper complement the spice.
With a high alcohol content (we're in) and persistent plum character, Grenache increases in intensity with each bite, making this pairing a full flavor experience from start to finish.
Photo: sorendis (Getty Images)
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Pepperoni Pizza / Cabernet Sauvignon
Okay, so this is one of those “duh” pairings, but did you know that the high fat content — and mix of spices like cayenne, anise, garlic powder and paprika that pepperoni’s cured with — permeates the cheese, requiring a stronger wine to combat that potency?
Cabernet Sauvignon also has lower acid levels since the meat and tomato sauce have plenty on their own, allowing notes of ripe fruit and fresh red pepper to moderate and magnify the flavors. You were probably already going to reach for a Cab Sav with your 'za, but now you know why it works. Knowledge is a beautiful thing.
Photo: Lauri Patterson (Getty Images)
