To us, wine without pizza is like beer without Fish & Chips… it’s simply sacrilegious. Whether you’re eating a midweek delivery meal or dining at Hugo’s Pizza and Pasta restaurant, there are a multitude of wines that will match your meal.
Here are 3 classic pizzas paired with wine according to Hugo Chetcuti and his team of highly trained professionals, including pizziaolo Dan, who has created a menu of both classic recipes and innovative ideas for you to try:
1. Margherita Pizza
Recommended wines: Pinot Grigio, Dry Rosé or Garnacha
With its aromatic notes of fresh, aromatic basil and the use of other lightly flavoured fresh ingredients (tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella), a light Pinot Grigio is ideal for serving with this pizza flavour. The light herbaceous character will highlight the basil yet not overwhelm the mozzarella.
However, a rosé is also the perfect wine match for a Margherita. Of course, if you’re a red wine-only type of drinker, Garnacha will work well too. When deciding whether or not you’re going to have a red, white or rosé, sometimes it’s more about your mood and surroundings. Still, with something as subtly flavoured as a Margherita, it’s best to stick to lighter reds as a starting point.
2. Meaty Pizza
Recommended wines: Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or Pinotage
Meats like salami, pepperoni or sausages are very strong in flavour and because of their fat content, it infuses its flavour throughout the cheese on each slice. That’s why a meaty pizza will need a strong wine with intense flavours to counterbalance the meat’s richness. Sangiovese is a classic choice, but a Cabernet Franc is also a surprisingly good alternative.
Rich foods deserve rich wines, so a high acid, high tannin Cabernet Sauvignon would be the best pairing with it. The bold, meaty flavours are well matched by the rich wine, featuring notes of dark red fruits; neither will overwhelm the other. Other full-bodied wines include Syrah and Pinotage, which also work well with rich meats and the flavour intensities. Both wines will have deep, dark fruit flavours of blackberry, olive, plum and blueberry which should work well with a sausage herbed with fennel.
3. ‘White’ Pizza
Recommended wines: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay or Champagne
‘White’ pizza separates itself from the traditional, red sauce and opens you up to two great wine pairings. Cream-based dishes elevate the natural ‘creamy’ notes to both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Of course, many wines go well with cream, but both Pinot and Chardonnay show some predominantly good affinities to the green herbs (like tarragon) that are often scattered on top of your pizza.
Surprisingly enough, champagne and pizza go brilliantly together. White pizza is usually much less acidic because of the lack of red sauce, which means that the wine it’s paired with can also be lower in acidity. That’s why it’s sometimes A-Ok to pair it with champagne as the bubbles highlight the flavours and never overwhelm your palate.
So if like you’re a true pizza lover and appreciate a good glass of wine to accompany it, why not book a table at Hugo’s Pizza & Pasta? After all, as Hugo Chetcuti himself believes, there’s nothing quite like a freshly baked pizza washed down with a fantastic glass of wine, is there?
