The best wine and beer pairings for pizza (updated)

Should you drink wine or beer with pizza? No rights or wrongs, obviously but here are a few thoughts which might encourage you to experiment.

Italians themselves more commonly drink beer than wine, usually a light lager like Peroni but I personally like something with a bit more flavour - a Czech-style lager for example or, with spicy pepperoni toppings, a Viennese-style lager like Brooklyn.

Cider works really well with pizza too.

What about Chianti?

Inexpensive Italian reds are also ideal being moderate in alcohol and with the fresh acidity to cut through gooey cheese and tomato toppings.

I personally enjoy Chianti with pizza but you could equally well drink something like a Barbera, a Valpolicella or a Rosso di Montalcino or a simple Sicilian red*.

Italian grape varieties such as Sangiovese and Dolcetto made elsewhere in the world also work well but you might want to chill them lightly to offset the extra ripeness and sweetness.

Other good pairings would be a fresh-tasting, medium bodied red like a Merlot, a Syrah, an inexpensive Zinfandel or a young Rioja.

Can you drink white wine with pizza?

There are also times when I think white wine works better with pizza than a red. Examples include goats’ cheese and spinach pizza, pizzas topped with prawns or other seafood like this pizza ‘claminara’ and pizza bianco (without tomato).

Again Italian wines seem to hit the spot perfectly, even the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio, though other crisp dry Italian whites would be equally good. 

If the pizza is topped with truffles you could even serve a good white burgundy as I found with this black truffle and fontina pizza which went brilliantly with a premier cru Puligny Montrachet. 

And with pizza topped with with fresh ingredients such as parma ham and rocket? Again try a dry Italian white like Gavi or a well-chilled glass of prosecco! Which brings me to ....

What about sparkling wine?

Absolutely. I really enjoy a pet nat (pétillant naturel), a gently fizzy natural sparkling wine with pizza. See this pairing with a Westwell pet nat rosé at a pizza truck pop up at their winery. It’s really refreshing in the way that beer is.

I’ve also enjoyed a pizza topped with gorgonzola, treviso and honey with an Alta Langa spumante and an aubergine-topped one with Franciacorta 

Light chilled red Lambrusco is a terrific pairing too. 

Top image © Foxys Forest Manufacture at shutterstock.com