What Wine Goes With Pizza, From Margherita to Pepperoni
What Wine Goes With Pizza, From Margherita to Pepperoni
Pizza wants a wine with bright acidity and modest tannin, so the acid can match the tomato and the tannin can cut the cheese and cured meat. For a classic margherita, pour a Chianti or other Sangiovese-based red; for pepperoni and meat-heavy pies, go with Zinfandel, whose ripe fruit and gentle tannin handle the fat and spice. Skip heavy oaked whites and very tannic Cabernet, they fight the sauce.
Our picks for pizza
Sangiovese's high acid mirrors the tomato and its firm but not aggressive tannin cuts mozzarella without overwhelming basil. This is the everyday pizza red in Italy for good reason.
Ripe Zinfandel has the fruit weight and soft tannin to stand up to cured meat and chili flake, and its touch of sweetness cools the spice rather than fighting it.
A light Italian red served slightly chilled, or a crisp Italian white, keeps a white pizza or a veggie pie from feeling heavy and matches the acidity of fresh tomato.
A splurge bottle brings dried cherry, leather, and earth that turn a plain margherita into a proper dinner. Save it for a good crust and good company.
Shop A serious Italian red, Brunello or an aged Chianti Classico Riserva
Why these pairings work
The rules of pizza pairing come down to three things:
- Tomato is acidic. A wine with less acid than the sauce tastes flat. Sangiovese, Barbera, and other Italian reds are built for this.
- Cheese and cured meat are fat and salt. Tannin and acid cut through fat. Zinfandel’s body and Chianti’s grip both do the job.
- Chili flake and pepperoni bring heat. High-alcohol, very tannic wines make heat feel hotter. Ripe, softer reds or a slightly chilled light red calm it down.
What to avoid: heavily oaked Chardonnay and big tannic Cabernet. The oak turns metallic against tomato, and the tannin clashes with cheese.
How the preparation changes the pick
The pie changes the pick more than people expect.
- Margherita: Chianti or another Sangiovese. Acid on acid, basil stays fresh.
- Pepperoni or sausage: Zinfandel. Fat and spice need fruit and body.
- White pizza, ricotta, or garlic: a crisp Italian white or a light red served cool. Skip tannic reds, they go bitter with garlic.
- Veggie or mushroom: earthy Italian red, the earth in the wine meets the mushroom.
- Extra cheese or deep dish: go bigger, a Zinfandel or a richer Italian red. More fat needs more wine.
- Spicy diavola or jalapeno: a slightly chilled light red or an off-dry Zinfandel. Sweetness beats heat.