Pizza and Wine: A Perfect Pair (Part 1)

The Pizza/Wine Experience

There's nothing like a slice of pizza (or more) and a glass of wine (or more) to compliment it. The two seem to be a natural pairing. Luxurious cheeses, variously structured dough, rich tomato sauce, aromatic herbs and flavorful toppings make the simple act of eating pizza a truly sensual affair.

Don't you love it when you take the first bite! The amazing mix of melted cheese, savory tomato sauce, herbs and toppings all melding into one sumptuous tasting explosion.

Wine is the perfect partner to enhance the delight of pizza. The right wine can intensify your experience in every way.  Isn't that what it's all about? Taking the time to connect with the foods we eat, letting them enliven our senses. Wine and pizza do this perfectly. The Italians really got it right.

Pizza - Red Wine Pairing Guidelines 

Here are a few simple guidelines on pairing wine with three popular pizzas.

Cheese Pizza

Cheese pizza is the classic New York Neapolitan pizza. It's traditional and always good to go. You will have to work with the acid in the tomato sauce and the fat in the cheese.  To cut the fat you will need a wine moderately high in acid and with moderate tannin. The tomatoes demand a wine higher in acid. 

Red wine would be most fitting to accomplish the task.

1 - Barbera d'Alba. My first choice would be a Barbera d' Alba from the Italian Piedmont, It's low in tanin and high in acidity. A nice match. 

2 - Chianti. Second would be the Sangiovese based Chianti. You can stay with a regular Chianti DOCG rather than the Chianti Classico. The regular Chianti is less intense, ligther and less tannic. A very nice match for your cheese pizza. 

3 - Beaujolais. A nice match would be the Gamay grape from France. A good Beaujolais is light bodied, with nice fruit and very refreshing. I enjoy this match very much. 

 Pepperoni Pizza

With the addition of pepperoni to the pizza you have an extra layer of spice and fat. You will need a rather bold wine to stand up to the power of this pizza style. 

1 - Cabernet Franc. A good Cabernet Franc is a fantastic pair with pepperoni pizza. It is a big wine with big flavors. It possesses an earthiness that goes well with the pepperoni's fat and spice. 

2 - Chianti. The Sangiovese grape is big enough to match the spice and fat in the pepperoni. Consider a Chianti Classico. It is more robust and bigger than a regular Chianti. Other Sangiovese based wines would also be fine.  

Sausage Pizza

Sausage Pizza is big and bold with plenty of spices. You will need to think big red to make the perfect match. Sausages are complicated and have many ingredients, including fennel, oregano, anise, etc. 

1 - Syrah. Big full bodied reds like Syrah go well with the rich spiciness of sausage. Syrah's intense dark fruits, olives, dark berries and spice matches up perfectly with what a sausage pizza offers. 

2 - Cabernet Sauvignon. A high tannin, high acid wine like Cabernet Sauvignon is a great match with any sausage and meat pizza. Rich, spicy foods need a big Cab to complement it. Although both the pizza and the wine are big, they work well together. 

Closing

In the next post, I'll address a few other types of pizza and the wines that go well with them.

Remember, keep things simple. It's really about what you like and want to drink. My preferences are just that, my preferences. After some trial and error you can decide what you like best. Just as you have some favorite pizzas, you will also develop a taste for specific wines. 

Salute! 

Ristorante RAFELE - Outstanding Italian Cuisine

After catching Cate Blanchett in her new Broadway play The Present, Mary and I took the E train to the West Village to have dinner at Rafele, an Italian restaurant located at 29 7th Ave. South in the West Village. I had heard about Rafele through the TV show Brindiamo, hosted by Ornella Fado.

The restaurant is modern and upbeat. None of the old heavy reds and thick carpets common in many traditional Italian restaurants. I noticed that the tables were not tightly pushed together as so often happens. We were seated in such a way that no one was near us. What a relief.

Our waitress, Aygul, was friendly, warm and very knowledgeable. Another relief. We struck up conversation very easily. She helped us through the entire meal effortlessly. She's a real pro.

Wine 

Sardinian Argiolas Vermentino

We started off by ordering a 2015 Sardinian Argiolas Vermentino. It was quite good. It was straw colored with a subtle nose, a touch of acidity and rich flavors of peach and apricot. It had nice body and a pleasant finish. Intense but delicate. We noted that it was less acidic, with less minerality than Vermentinos from Liguria in Northern Italy. Very pleasing. And for $10 a glass a real pleasure.

Eggplant Starter

The Vermentino went perfectly with the eggplant caponata starter that was served with crisp Italian bread. This recipe didn't call for the olives, pignoli nuts and capers to which I'm normally accustomed. Very simple, very tasty. A great caponata of eggplant, red peppers and onions.


Appetizers 

Melanzana

For appetizers, Mary ordered the Melanzana, which consists of layers of eggplant, grana Padano, buffalo mozzarella and the house tomato sauce. It was terrific. The sauce was superb.

Terrina Di Mare

I ordered the Terrina Di Mare: shelled mussels, shrimp, lemon, butter, white wine and Calabrian red pepper. This appetizer came with a light sauce perfect for dunking. It was perfectly cooked, nothing overdone. The taste was scrumptious. We used up all our Italian bread dunking into the savory seafood sauce.

Entrees

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra

For our main dishes, Mary ordered the Spaghetti Alla Chitarra. which is spaghetti with the house tomato sauce, buffalo ricotta, basil and extra virgin olive oil. It's simple and delicious. The buffalo ricotta was delicate and very tasteful. Mary wished for more ricotta to enjoy.

Pappardelle Wild Boar Ragu

 I ordered the Pappardelle Wild Boar Ragu. It was stupendous. It was rich and flavorful, compelling with the combination of wild boar, pasta and an extraordinary brown sauce. It also had a luxurious and smooth texture that gave it an elegant appeal.


We thought we were finished after the entrees but Aygul tempted us with the homemade Ricotta Cheese Cake. What an ending. A superb rendition of the common cheese cake that was worth waiting for. Rich, smooth in texture and highly satisfying to the palate.

Conclusion

At the end of the meal, Chef Raffale Ronca came out to greet us. We had a very nice conversation and thanked him for creating such a great culinary establishment. He was very gracious. To top it off, as Chef Ronca was leaving us, Alan Alda walked by on his way to his table. I had the brief opportunity to engage him and thank him for his work. A nice touch.

Mary and I both highly recommend Rafele. It's modern, airy, and upbeat. The wait staff is very professional and attentive. The food, however, is the star. Fresh, high quality ingredients cooked to perfection and very tasty. Not overwhelming, very well balanced. The  portions are moderate in size and reminiscent of the portions served in Italy. Prices are moderate, lower than we expected, and quite good for Manhattan.

Rafele may be the best Italian restaurant we've experienced in many years. We plan to return as soon and as often as we can. Give it a try.

Rafele is located at 29 7th Ave. South in the West Village, 212 242-1990.