Pizza & Wine Pairing: an unusual pairing event

Everyone loves pizza, one of the Italian foods that identifies Italy worldwide: to enjoy it at its best, we decided to organize a tasting in the company of Attilio Scienza, to show how wine can enhance the multiple flavors of this essential gastronomic delight.

The Neapolitan pizzeria Assaporito delighted us with eight specialties, from the most classic and simple Margherita to the more lavish fried pizza with ricotta and salami, from the essential marinara to the rich ‘nduja with burrata: the others included the delicious combo of mortadella-pistachios, the freshness of cherry tomatoes, the seasonal aroma of pumpkin, and finally the “agée” pairing of sausage and friarielli.

Let’s see together what wines accompanied our tasting.

Pizza and Fiano d’Avellino, pizza and Sicilian Grillo

With the Queen of pizzas on the table, we sipped a Fiano d’Avellino, a DOCG nectar that keeps us in Campania (which has been praised for its goodness for over five hundred years). The simplest pizza among the selection proposed by Mattia Rizzi was paired with another white wine, the Sicilian Grillo, made from medium-late ripening grapes that remind us of this time of year.

Pizza and Lambrusco di Sorbara

For both the hearty fried pizza and the... differently light pizza with cream and pistachio crumbs, our wine experts Cristina and Jacopo recommended Lambrusco di Sorbara, a red wine from Modena made from grapes with a truly unique feature. The pollen of this grape variety is actually sterile: this characteristic makes the clusters susceptible to the phenomenon of acinellatura, which consists of the reduction in the size of the berries even in very significant percentages of production.

Both pairings were appreciated, especially by Attilio! But in my opinion, this wine matches well with all the pizzas on the table.

Pizza and Valpolicella Superiore, pizza and Chianti Classico

The pairing with pumpkin leans towards a non-tannic, soft wine: the Valpolicella DOC Superiore adapts to the purpose, with its pleasant and harmonious flavor. A my personal favorite is the sausage and friarielli pairing with Chianti Classico, which certainly doesn’t need an introduction.

Pizza and Bolgheri DOC, pizza and Trebbiano Spoletino

To hold up against the spicy flavor of Calabrian ‘nduja, a bit of roundness is needed: a Bolgheri DOC offers this, a brand well known to our Attilio. For the red and yellow cherry tomatoes, we finally have a Trebbiano Spoletino DOC from the Antonelli winery, a surprise for me.

With the hope of piquing your curiosity about the pairing of flavors between pizza and wine, we invite you to put aside the beer and try something new, less casual and more satisfying for your palate.

Cheers!