What Wine Goes With Pizza: A Topping Cheat Sheet

why the topping matters more than the crust

Thin crust, deep dish, New York slice, wood fired: the dough barely changes what you should drink. Bread is neutral. What changes the wine is what sits on top of it, because sauce, cheese, meat and spice are where all the flavor lives.

Two wine words help here. Acidity is the mouthwatering, tangy feel a wine has (think lemonade versus milk). Tannin is the dry, grippy feeling some red wines leave on your gums, a bit like strong black tea. Tomato sauce is very acidic, so it makes low acid wines taste flat and dull. Spicy toppings clash with lots of tannin and high alcohol, which can make the heat feel hotter.

So the basic rule: tangy sauce needs a tangy wine, rich cheese needs something fresh to cut through it, and heat needs fruit, not muscle.

red sauce pizza: go italian and go tangy

Pizza and Italian red wine grew up together, and it shows. Italian reds tend to have high acidity, which is exactly what tomato sauce needs. A classic cheese pizza or a margherita (tomato, mozzarella and basil) is the easiest pairing of the lot.

• Chianti: made mostly from the Sangiovese grape in Tuscany. Cherry flavors, a savory edge, lots of zip. The default pizza wine for good reason.
• Barbera: a red from Piedmont in northern Italy. Very juicy, low in tannin, easy to love. Great if you find Chianti a bit dry.
• Montepulciano d'Abruzzo: soft, plummy and usually easy on the wallet. A solid pick for a crowd.

For a margherita in particular, you can also go lighter. A dry rosé or even a crisp white like Pinot Grigio works nicely with the fresh basil and soft mozzarella, especially on a warm evening.

pepperoni, sausage and the meat lovers

Pepperoni is salty, a little greasy and often a little spicy. You want a red with plenty of ripe fruit and not too much tannin. Big, super tannic reds can taste bitter next to cured meat, and very high alcohol wines turn up the burn of any chili flakes.

• Zinfandel: jammy, peppery and fruity. It loves pepperoni and sausage. Look for one on the lower end of the alcohol range if you like your pizza spicy.
• Lambrusco: a lightly sparkling red from Italy, served chilled. The bubbles scrub away the grease and the fruit handles the salt. Choose "secco" on the label for a dry style or "amabile" for a slightly sweet one.
• Nero d'Avola or Primitivo: southern Italian reds with dark fruit that stand up to sausage and meat lovers pies.

white pies and extra cheesy pizzas

A white pie (pizza bianca) skips the tomato sauce and leans on olive oil, garlic, ricotta and mozzarella. Without the tangy sauce, a big red can feel heavy. This is where white wine shines.

• Unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay: the creamy texture matches ricotta, and the freshness keeps it from feeling rich on rich.
• Pinot Grigio or Soave: crisp, light Italian whites that cut through melted cheese like a squeeze of lemon.
• Prosecco or other dry sparkling wine: bubbles plus salty cheese is one of the happiest matches there is.

For a four cheese pizza, stick with crisp whites or bubbles. The more cheese there is, the more you want something bright to reset your mouth between bites.

veggie, pesto, mushroom and the wild cards

Not every pizza fits neatly into red sauce or white. Here is how to handle the rest of the menu.

• Mushroom: earthy toppings love Pinot Noir, a light red with soft tannin and an earthy side of its own.
• Pesto or lots of green veggies: go for Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino. Their herbal, zesty flavors match basil, peppers and spinach.
• Hawaiian (ham and pineapple): an off-dry Riesling (off-dry just means a touch sweet) or a fruity rosé. A little sweetness in the wine plays well with the pineapple.
• BBQ chicken: sweet, smoky sauce calls for a fruity red like Zinfandel or Malbec.
• Buffalo chicken or anything very spicy: off-dry Riesling again. The hint of sweetness and lower alcohol cool things down instead of fanning the flames.

Mixed order with three different pizzas on the table? Lambrusco or a dry rosé is the safest single bottle. Both are light enough for white pies and fruity enough for pepperoni.

your pizza night cheat sheet

Save this for the next time you are standing in the wine aisle with a pizza on the way.

• Cheese or margherita: Chianti, Barbera or dry rosé
• Pepperoni: Zinfandel or Lambrusco
• Sausage or meat lovers: Nero d'Avola, Primitivo or Zinfandel
• White pie: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Prosecco
• Mushroom: Pinot Noir
• Pesto or veggie: Sauvignon Blanc or Vermentino
• Hawaiian or spicy: off-dry Riesling
• No idea what everyone ordered: Lambrusco or dry rosé

A couple of serving tips. Pizza is casual, so this is not the night for your most expensive bottle; a simple, fairly priced wine usually tastes better with it anyway. Light reds like Lambrusco, Barbera and Pinot Noir are even nicer with a slight chill, so give them 15 to 20 minutes in the fridge. And if you are not sure which of these styles you actually enjoy, the Green Glass taste quiz can point you toward reds or whites you are likely to like, so pizza night gets easier every time.

questions people ask

What is the best wine to drink with pizza?

For most tomato sauce pizzas, a tangy Italian red like Chianti or Barbera is the best choice, because its acidity matches the acidity of the sauce.

What wine goes with pepperoni pizza?

Pepperoni pairs well with fruity, low tannin reds like Zinfandel or a chilled, lightly sparkling Lambrusco, which handle the salt and spice without tasting bitter.

Can you drink white wine with pizza?

Yes. White wine is often the better match for white pies, four cheese pizzas and veggie or pesto pizzas, with crisp choices like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay.

What wine goes with spicy pizza?

Spicy pizza goes best with an off-dry Riesling or another fruity, lower alcohol wine, because high alcohol and strong tannin make chili heat feel hotter.

Is rosé good with pizza?

Dry rosé is one of the most flexible pizza wines, since it is fresh enough for white pies and fruity enough for margherita or pepperoni.