Pizza is the perfect food for any occasion. Want to watch the game? Enjoy greasy pizza with your favorite beer. Don’t want to cook dinner tonight? Order pizza takeout before you leave the office so it’s ready when you can pick it up. Want to celebrate your 20th wedding anniversary? Take your spouse to that little pizza restaurant where you had your first date in Napa Valley.
One of the best things about living in Napa Valley is that you have the best of everything. You can choose from incredible wines at family-owned wineries, you can feast on fresh foods because all the ingredients are grown nearby, and you can get delightful pizzas from restaurants that have been cooking the best cuisine in ovens like a refractory cement pizza oven for a long time.
Enjoying pizza also means pairing it with the most refreshing drinks. While some still go for an ice-cold beer, you might not have realized how wonderful pizza tastes with just the right wine pairing. If you’re looking for a new way to enjoy your vino, or you want to enhance the flavor of wood-fired pizza, keep reading. Here are some delicious pizza options and the wines they go best with.
Hand-Tossed Margherita Pizza Pairs Well With Prosecco or Pinot Grigio
This simple, but delectable pizza is a foodie’s favorite. It’s no fuss. All you need is sliced fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and a satisfying and simple marinara. When paired with a crisp Prosecco, you have a flavor match made in heaven. The fruity hints help the flavors of the pizza come alive. Since Prosecco is only made in Italy, it’ll be a little challenging to get one local here in Napa Valley. You can choose a local Pinot Grigio instead if you don’t want to source your wine from the other side of the world. The zesty hints in the wine don’t overpower the simple flavors of the fresh mozzarella and basil.
Pair a Mushroom Pizza With Chardonnay
While many people think that mushroom pizzas can pair with any wine, there is something special about pairing it with a Chardonnay. The good thing about Napa Valley is that the grapes used to make this buttery wine are grown right here in Napa Valley. With such diverse terrain, these grapes grow easily and there are many great wineries to choose from if you want a local Chardonnay. The buttery hints help to bring out the flavor of the mushrooms. It’s like eating mushrooms sauteed in a rich buttery sauce when you pair these two together. The next time you eat a wood-fired pizza here in Napa Valley, enjoy it with some Chardonnay.
Hawaiian Pizza With Ham and Pineapple Pairs Great With Sauvignon Blanc
The smoky flavors of the ham and the sweet and tart flavors of the pineapple demand an exceptional wine choice. While there are still those out there who firmly believe that pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza, you couldn’t be more wrong. Pineapple and ham pizza tastes incredible with Sauvignon Blanc. Its high acidity complements the acidity in the pineapple without taking over. Because it’s on the dry side and has hints of citrus, it brings out the flavors of the fruit on the pizza as well. Some Sauvignon Blancs are on the smoky side of things as well and this helps to complement the smoky taste of the ham. The next time you say pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza, try it with Sauvignon Blanc and see if it changes your mind.
Meaty Pizzas Pair Best With Merlot
For something meaty, like pepperoni, sausage, or heavy meat lover’s pizza, you’ll want to enjoy a Merlot alongside it. Many red wines will do, but Merlot makes the best partner with a meaty pizza because it’s not usually too sweet and helps to enhance the flavors of the different meats on the pizza. Merlot can sometimes even have a spicey quality that adds just a little more zest to your meal.
Choosing wines to pair with gourmet wood-fired oven pizza is an art and a science. You might simply have a favorite wine that you enjoy drinking when you eat a meal with a red sauce and one that you love when you have a white sauce. Try using these hints the next time you go looking for pizza and wine here in Napa Valley.