There are few things that go together better than wine and pizza. Whether you’re getting cheap takeaway or aiming for something a little fancier, knowing what wines to pair with your pizza will elevate your meal and make it all the more enjoyable - who would’ve thought possible.
Your go-to guide when choosing the right wine to accompany your pizza is to keep in mind what sauce is on its base and what toppings it’s working with. We’ve chosen a few of the most popular pizza styles to help you choose the perfect wine pairing for your next pizza night.
Hawaiian
This classic topping is well-known for creating a divide within the connoisseur pizza community. It’s sweet and salty flavours and bold addition of pineapple ensure you either love it or you hate it, so for all our Hawaiian devotee’s a versatile white wine is the way to go. A subtle sweet white such as riesling will pair well as it will counterbalance the saltiness of the ham and give the sweet pineapple an extra punch.
Margherita
When it comes to the delicious simplicity of the margherita pizza, a wine with a lower acidity will pair well due to the high acidity of the tomato sauce base. The tangy tomato, creamy mozzarella and fragrant basil combine together perfectly to suit a light to medium bodied wine such as a rosé or pinot grigio. The zesty, fresh and light aromas of either of these wines will complement the pizza’s flavours without being overbearing.
Vegetarian
Vegetarian pizzas are often packed full of olives, capers, onion, capsicum and mushrooms. When it comes to picking the right wine to pair with these toppings, you want to choose something that is cold and crisp and won’t compete with the flavours of the pizza but instead balance it. We recommend a sauvignon blanc with bright and invigorating aromas, or a dry rosé to complement the vegetables.
Fungi
Climbing up the ranks in popularity is the earthy and delicious funghi pizza. This just means it’s packed full of mushrooms and will most likely be paired with rocket, mozzarella and fresh parmesan. When it comes to the flavourful funghi, a great wine pairing is a light red such as pinot noir.
Seafood
Packed full of all the good stuff, a seafood pizza will often have a lighter sauce on its base which will partner well with a crisp and dry Italian white wine, such as pinot grigio or chardonnay. Sometimes a seafood pizza will come with a white sauce base, this is far less acidic and would suit a bubbly champagne or prosecco beautifully.
Meatlovers
Similar to a good steak, a meatlovers pizza will pair perfectly with a full-bodied red. A red wine with lots of depth and intense tannins such as cabernet sauvignon, shiraz or malbec will match well with the fattiness of the meat and the richness will combine for a flavour combination that is sure to put a smile on your face.
So, there you have it, a comprehensive list of everybody’s favourite pizzas and the wines that will make for a delectable pairing. Of course, pizzas can come with a wide range of different toppings, with many these days going down a more high-brow route (think prosciutto and peaches or sweet potato and goats’ cheese for example). But you can’t beat the classics, and everyone knows pizza and wine just work.
