By Rick Riozza
It seems like everyone chimes in with what goes best with a pizza. And—the best answer is what you usually like to drink with all that pizze.
Back in the day of sorts, when they had all these big American pizza parlors around (anyone remember Pepe’s ?), pitchers of beer were always the call. Sometimes it was even watered down in scratchy plastic pitchers—but as long as it was cold and refreshing, it worked.
Now-a-days with all of the fancy pizze being offered in quieter venues, in more romantic restaurants, and even at dive bars, with all the wine varieties around the world available and with all the different and flavored craft beers spewing from taps, consumers are seemingly straying away from the simple life: They wish to bombast both their taste buds and their significant others with a pairing that will send them to heaven.
There’s nothing better than enjoying a pizza with a cold beer or some tasty wine. And that combination is another way of realizing that God really loves us. And we really love pizza! (Therefore logically—God really loves pizza!)
Of course God doesn’t want us to hate our neighbor, so why take sides when it comes to the beverage of choice for the pizza pie? How many times have we seen dirty looks exchanged between tables when that one has frosty mugs upon it and this one has alluring colored wine in a sleek sexy glass?
Actually—perpetuating the myth that each side has their own war banner is all Madison Avenue. Most wine enthusiasts I know simply love the suds (and the real tasters love the IPAs); interesting though, staunch beer lovers don’t think about wine as much as we vino heads think about beer. And so it goes…
Because pizza begins with bready, yeasty, fermented bread, we can see why beer matches up wonderfully on the bridge of yeasty, grainy flavors that each has. My friend Master Brewer Chris Anderson over at CV Brewery told me that when he was learning his trade up in Alaska, his favorite pizza was a Five-Cheese—with mostly Italian like Gorgonzola, Parmesano, Provolone, etc. His beer of choice up there was an India Pale Ale. Locally, with a pepperoni and sausage pizza, he recommends his CVB’s Kölschella. It’s a light golden hybrid ale, fermented warm and then lagered to produce a crisp, clean, and refreshing brew—“It cuts through and cleanses after each pizza bite.”
The bigger question for wine enthusiasts is: Which is the best wine to go with pizza? Now that’s the million dollar question and God surely knows the million dollar answer but in His infinite wisdom & mercy, He’s allowed us to play around with it all.
Of course it’s not a stretch to imagine an Italian wine. For a basic pizza, the combination of acidic tomato sauce and creamy cheese calls out for a wine with good acidity and plenty of fruit. A fine Dolcetto or Barbera are the usual recommendations, which work well with this style of pizza. The flavors and texture of the wines tend to mirror that of the pizza.
I even remember a Northern California 1988 Barbera from Louis Martini—at $5, just being the bomb! Does Gallo own that vineyard now? I’ll pay for that info! But let me tell you right off—Barbera is a godsend of a grape for pizza-pairing. It has all the rich black fruit that people love, with a nice silver lining of acidity. It’s the one I’d take to a pizza-pairing throwdown—winning!
If you wish to really keep it authentic—Gragnano [Grah-nyah-no] is the true “spritzy” pizza wine, served chilled in Napoli, in the land where the San Marzano tomatoes flourish in the lava-rich soil of the volcano, Mt. Vesuvius. It’s where pizza was invented and thrives and what every new pizzeria in our valley and around the U.S. attempts to copy. And that is very good news because that style—thin, crisp and chewy, fresh quality ingredients & an 800 degree oven charring—is wonderful!
Problem with the frizzante Gragnano—who can find it here?
The trick, of course, is to consider your toppings. If you keep adding ingredients, you’ll generally want to move up to a more intense wine. Meaty pizze open the doors to wines like Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Malbec, Shiraz and Cab/Shiraz blends.
If you’re looking at a pizza with peppers on it, then try something with a green edge, like a Cabernet Franc for a red, and, think of Sauvignon Blanc for a white—especially if its heavy laden with peppers. It works well, again mirroring some of the flavors of the pizza.
Heavy on the mushrooms or exotic cheeses on a pie will call for an assertive wine with aged flavors that can work with the savories here. Consider a Rioja Reserva or Chianti Riserva as a good choice, or even better, a nice mature bottle of Nebbiolo (Gattinara, Barbaresco, Barolo) would really do well here!—that definitely would be an up-scale pizza dinner.
A final look into our Acme wine bin, we find the inexpensive Chilean Carménère works great with its lively herbaciousness that pairs well with the fresh and dried herbs in many a Neapolitan-style pizza. A dry Lambrusco is always great with pizza (and tamales too!) And, a very sexy choice for a light afternoon pizza is a Portuguese wine, Monte Velho Red.
DaMichele in Napoli is by far the best and the most popular pizzeria in that city, and I think they still only sell water and Coke.
Hey—I just ordered, a meaty, cheesy, tomato and anchovy pizza. Heaven awaits!
Cheers!
Rick continues to host wine events and always orders anchovies. Contact winespectrum@aol.com
