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! 

Cru Beaujolais: Excellent Wine at a Modest Price

You may be saying to yourself: "Bob has finally walked the plank.  How can he be recommending Beaujolais, that stuff is like water." Ok. Admittedly, there is a lot of Beaujolais out there that is distinctly inferior.  But not all Beaujolais is bad and worthy of scorn. Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes 2009 is one of those wines that is enjoyable, simple, yet substantial, and very reasonably priced.  Let me explain a little about Beaujolais before letting you know about a recent example of how Beaujolais can be enjoyable and add much to a meal. 

AOC Beaujolais: This is a young, inexpensive fruity wine which contains the dreaded Beaujolais Nouveau released only weeks after being harvested.  It is undistinguished and newly born.  These wines don't merit attention.  Some people do find them refreshing and fruity and, importantly, easy on the wallet.

AOC Beaujolais-Villages: This appellation accounts for up to a quarter of all the Beaujolais produced.  It tends to be of a higher quality than the regular or Beaujolais Nouveau.  The wines are more complex and fuller bodied.  There are many good wines to choose from in this category.  Louis Jadot is a good representative of this type.

AOC Cru du Beaujolais: These are the wines grown in the top ten zones in the area and can possess very high qualities.  Cru Beaujolais is a top tier wine that is worthy of attention and enjoyment.  The wine has been overlooked due to the poor reputation gained by the Beaujolais Nouveau that floods the country every fall.  

2009 Georges Duboeuf Morgon Jean Descombes: We were lucky enough to share this wine with the Molloys and the Browns at a belated St. Patrick's Day Party.  I was obsessing about which wine to bring knowing that Florence was making a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner.  This hearty food is notoriously difficult to pair.  Our good friend and wine expert, Kim Caldwell, warned against the pairing but thought it might be worth a try.  Lo and behold, it worked wonderfully.  The wine was juicy with good body. It was deep in color with a spice running through it that was invigorating.  It had notes of berries, a smokiness and a firm, enjoyable finish.  Most importantly, it complemented the dinner perfectly.  Our good friend Alden gave the thumbs up nod.  

Some other good Cru Beaujolais wines are:

2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon 

2008 Charly Thevenet Regnie Grain & Granit

The Beaujolais Cru wines are inexpensive and of very high quality.  Many can be purchased for under $20.00.