Food Pairing - Pizza

I've had friends eating a lot of pizza for some reason recently, so I thought a food pairing on pizza was in order. As with pasta, the type of wine you pair with your pizza depends on the sauce and toppings on your pie.

Starting off easy, if you are trying to go non-traditional with your pizza and decide to go for the "white pizza" (or any kind really without a tomato sauce base), pick a chardonnay or a pinot noir. The chardonnay works well with the garlic in the cream sauce and if you prefer red, the pinot will pair with the spices without overpowering the pie.

For a vegetarian pizza, pick a chianti, cab franc, or sauvignon blanc. In a chianti, the fruit and acid taste great with sweet, acidic tomatoes. A cab franc has less tannins than chianti (so a little less bitter) and usually has a bit of a vegital taste that will meld nicely with the veggies on the pizza. If white is more your taste, a sauvignon blanc also features herbal flavors to match.

If you're ordering a meat/pepperoni or cheese pizza, pull out a chianti or medium to full-bodied zinfandel. Either of these are a perfect match for the spices and tomatoes.