Wine and Pizza Pairing: The Ultimate Guide

Because life’s too short to drink the wrong wine with your pizza.

Pizza and wine is one of humanity’s greatest combinations. Both originated in Italy. Both are infinitely customizable. Both make everything better.

But here’s where it gets interesting: not all wines work with all pizzas. A delicate Pinot Grigio with a meat lover’s supreme? Disaster. A massive Cabernet with a simple Margherita? Overkill.

Get the pairing right, though, and both the wine and the pizza become something greater.

This guide will show you exactly which wines to pour with every type of pizza, from classic Margherita to white pizza to that Hawaiian abomination your friend insists on ordering.

Let’s dive in.

The Golden Rule of Pizza Pairing

Before we get specific, here’s the principle that governs all pizza pairing:

Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the pizza.

Light, simple pizzas need light, simple wines. Heavy, loaded pizzas can handle bold, structured wines.

Tomato sauce, cheese, and toppings all add weight. A cheese pizza is lighter than a four-meat pizza. A thin crust is lighter than a deep dish. Adjust your wine accordingly.

Classic Margherita

The pizza: Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil. Simple, elegant, balanced.

Why it’s tricky: The simplicity means there’s nowhere to hide. The wine and pizza are in direct conversation.

Perfect pairings:

Chianti Classico: The iconic pairing. Chianti’s cherry fruit, earthy notes, and bright acidity were literally made for this pizza. The Italian-Italian connection isn’t just geographical. The flavors genuinely complement each other.

Barbera: High acidity cuts through the cheese while cherry flavors echo the tomato’s fruitiness. Excellent value too.

Sangiovese (any): If you can’t find Chianti, any good Sangiovese will work. It’s the same grape, after all.

Vermentino: Want white? This Italian coastal wine has enough body and herbal character to work beautifully.

Price tip: Spend $12 to $20. The pizza is simple, so the wine doesn’t need to be fancy.

Pepperoni

The pizza: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy cured pepperoni. America’s favorite.

Why it works: The fat and spice of pepperoni need a wine with enough fruit and acidity to cut through and complement.

Perfect pairings:

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: This underrated Italian red has dark fruit, soft tannins, and a slight rusticity that loves pepperoni. Absurd value.

Zinfandel: Bold fruit, a hint of spice, enough body to match the pepperoni’s punch. A California-meets-America pairing.

Primitivo: Zinfandel’s Italian cousin. Slightly more savory, equally delicious.

Côtes du Rhône: Red blends from Southern France have the fruit and spice to match pepperoni perfectly.

Price tip: $10 to $18 is the sweet spot. Pepperoni pizza isn’t fancy, and neither should your wine be.

Meat Lovers / Supreme

The pizza: Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, ham, and whatever other proteins the pizzeria had lying around.

Why it’s challenging: This is a heavy pizza. Light wines will get completely overwhelmed.

Perfect pairings:

Malbec: Argentine Malbec has the dark fruit, plush texture, and soft tannins to handle all that meat. It’s bold without being aggressive.

Syrah/Shiraz: Dark fruit, black pepper, smoke. Syrah mirrors the complexity of multiple meats. Australian Shiraz is particularly good here.

Nero d’Avola: Sicily’s signature red is bold, meaty, and savory. A sleeper pick that works brilliantly.

Petite Sirah: When you need serious firepower. Inky, rich, and tannic enough to match the heaviest pizza.

Price tip: $12 to $25. The pizza is indulgent, so splurge a little on the wine.

Sausage and Peppers

The pizza: Italian sausage, roasted peppers, sometimes onions. Savory and satisfying.

Why it’s great for pairing: The fennel in Italian sausage and the sweetness of roasted peppers create interesting flavor hooks.

Perfect pairings:

Dolcetto: Italian red with soft tannins and notes of licorice that echo the fennel in sausage. Perfect match.

Nero d’Avola: Bold enough for sausage, with herbal notes that work with peppers.

Barbera: Bright acidity and cherry fruit. A classic Italian combo.

Grenache: Spanish Garnacha has a slight sweetness that mirrors roasted peppers beautifully.

Price tip: $12 to $18. Honest wine for an honest pizza.

Mushroom

The pizza: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, sautéed mushrooms (hopefully multiple varieties).

Why it’s interesting: Mushrooms have earthy, umami-rich flavors that call for specific wines.

Perfect pairings:

Pinot Noir: The classic mushroom pairing. Burgundy Pinot especially has earthy notes that mirror the fungi. Oregon Pinot works beautifully too.

Nebbiolo (Langhe): The earthiness of Nebbiolo is tailor-made for mushrooms. Look for entry-level Langhe Nebbiolo, not expensive Barolo.

Aged Chianti: Older Chianti develops earthy, forest-floor notes that complement mushrooms perfectly.

Etna Rosso: Sicilian wines from Mount Etna have volcanic minerality and earthiness that mushrooms love.

Price tip: $15 to $25. Mushroom pizza is sophisticated enough to justify a nicer bottle.

White Pizza (No Red Sauce)

The pizza: Olive oil or cream base, mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, sometimes spinach or artichokes.

Why white wine shines: Without tomato sauce, you can finally break out the whites.

Perfect pairings:

Soave: Italian white with stone fruit, almond notes, and moderate body. Made for white pizza.

Greco di Tufo: Fuller-bodied Italian white with waxy texture that matches the richness of ricotta.

White Burgundy (Mâcon): Chardonnay without too much oak. Elegant and creamy.

Fiano: Southern Italian white with honey and mineral notes. Increasingly popular for good reason.

Rosé: A dry, fuller-bodied rosé from Provence or Spain bridges red and white, working with the richness without overwhelming.

Price tip: $12 to $20. White pizzas feel fancy, so the wine should too.

BBQ Chicken

The pizza: BBQ sauce base, chicken, red onion, cilantro, sometimes bacon.

Why it’s challenging: BBQ sauce is sweet, tangy, and smoky. A lot for wine to navigate.

Perfect pairings:

Zinfandel: The jammy fruit and hint of sweetness in Zinfandel harmonizes with BBQ sauce beautifully. This is THE pairing.

Shiraz: Australian Shiraz has the fruit intensity and smoky notes to match BBQ.

Malbec: Dark fruit and soft tannins work with the sweetness without clashing.

Off-dry Riesling: A wild card. The slight sweetness and high acidity actually balance BBQ sauce remarkably well.

Price tip: $10 to $18. BBQ chicken pizza is fun food; keep the wine fun too.

Hawaiian (Ham and Pineapple)

The pizza: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, pineapple. Controversial, but we’re not here to judge.

Why it needs the right wine: The sweetness of pineapple requires careful matching.

Perfect pairings:

Off-dry Riesling: Sweetness meets sweetness, high acidity cuts through. It works.

Gewürztraminer: Aromatic, slightly sweet, with exotic fruit notes that complement pineapple.

Sparkling Rosé: The bubbles and fruit handle the sweetness while staying refreshing.

Lambrusco: Slightly sweet, fizzy Italian red. Quirky pizza meets quirky wine.

Price tip: $10 to $15. This pizza already broke the rules; the wine can be playful too.

Veggie Supreme

The pizza: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, peppers, onions, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes.

Why it’s versatile: Multiple vegetables create a complex flavor profile that works with many wines.

Perfect pairings:

Valpolicella: Cherry fruit and herbal notes that complement vegetables without overwhelming.

Grüner Veltliner: Austrian white with white pepper notes and refreshing acidity. Surprisingly great with vegetables.

Verdicchio: Italian white with almond and citrus notes. Excellent veggie match.

Light Sangiovese: Rosso di Montalcino or basic Chianti. Bright enough for vegetables.

Price tip: $12 to $18. Vegetable pizzas are often more nuanced than they get credit for.

Quick Reference Chart

Final Tips

Temperature matters. If you’re serving red with pizza, consider a slight chill, especially for lighter wines like Barbera or Valpolicella.

Don’t overthink it. Pizza is casual. Wine should be too. The $15 bottle you actually drink is better than the $40 bottle you save for “the right occasion.”

Match regional. When in doubt, pair Italian pizza with Italian wine. Centuries of culinary evolution already solved this problem. For even more combinations, see our complete wine and pizza pairing guide.

Buy two bottles. Pizza night usually involves more than one glass. Plan accordingly.

Your Next Pizza Night

Next time you order pizza (or better yet, make your own) scan the wine bottle before you pour. Sommo will tell you about the wine’s origin, grape variety, and flavor profile, helping you understand why certain pairings work.

Over time, you’ll build an intuition for matching food and wine. But until then, let this guide (and Sommo) do the heavy lifting.