Italian
What wine goes with pizza?
Pizza is tomato before it is anything else, and tomato is acidic. A wine with less acidity than the sauce tastes flat and slightly sweet next to it, which is why so many expensive bottles disappoint here and a cheap Italian red sings.
Toppings shift it, but not as much as people think. The base of tomato, salt and melted cheese dominates; pepperoni adds fat and spice, mushroom adds earth, and a white pizza changes the equation completely by removing the tomato.
The best matches
Barbera
About this grapeVery high acidity, almost no tannin, dark cherry fruit. It was made in a country that eats tomato sauce constantly and it shows. Barbera d'Asti with a Margherita is close to a perfect pairing at a fair price.
Chianti (Sangiovese)
About this grapeThe obvious answer and still a good one. Sangiovese's acidity matches the sauce and its savoury, herbal edge picks up oregano and basil. Better with a loaded pizza than a simple one, since it brings more tannin than Barbera.
Zinfandel
About this grapeFor pepperoni or sausage specifically. The ripe, brambly fruit and slight sweetness handle spiced fatty meat and a charred crust in a way leaner Italian reds do not.
Pinot Grigio
About this grapeFor white pizza, or anything with potato, gorgonzola or truffle oil. Take the tomato away and the acidity requirement drops; a crisp neutral white lets the cheese and the crust do the talking.
What to avoid
Big oaked reds. Cabernet and Napa blends fight the tomato acidity and lose, ending up tasting hollow and slightly bitter. Save them for the steak.
One thing to keep in mind
Chill the red. Fifteen minutes in the fridge takes a Barbera to around 14°C, where the acidity reads as refreshing rather than sharp.
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