So, I have noticed that pairing wine with pizza has become a bit more popular lately. Growing up, I always remember having beer and pizza night.  But now, anything goes--even white wine. 

I thought I would try to get a bit more in depth and maybe talk about what I like to drink with my pizza.  I’ll sum it up with 3 types of pizza and you can go crazy after that with the mixing and matching. 

Pizza type one would be the all veggie pizza. You have your basic crust, tomato sauce, cheese, and...what veggies do we use?  Let’s try green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  This is the basic pizza (add in whatever you want).  When you think of these veggies what wine would you put with them? I could think of a couple: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir?  Have you ever had Carelton Cellars Seven Devils? If you haven’t, try it with this veggie pizza tonight.  If you like something a little heavier, go towards Washington state into Yakima Valley and grab a bottle of Fall Line Red Willow Red Blend. Both wines have a bit of that earthiness that the veggies have.  Either way you will hopefully see pizza in a new light.

Pizza two would be the meat lovers.  For this one, let’s add pepperoni, sausage, and bacon (because, as we all know, everything’s better with bacon)! Now let’s talk about Valpolicella, or more importantly, Nicolis Valpolicella.  This is an Italian blend that is a lighter flavor that goes with the tomato sauce and all the meats...and it's under $15.00!  Again, if you are looking for something heavier, go merlot. 
I know, I know, nobody drinks merlot, but that should change!  Come in and pick up a bottle of Perimeter
Merlot (again under $15.00) and I gotta say I have a bit of a love affair with Washington State wines!

For the final pizza, we go white.  So with this pizza, think fresh garlic, spinach, and Ricotta cheese.  Here is where I find the white wine to come in handy.  American Pinot Blanc or Italian Pinot Grigio will go perfectly! I would say to pick up a bottle of Collalto Pinot Grigio or Pappas Pinot Blanc.  Either way, there would be no disappointment.

Now that you have my humble opinions, go with your own! Find me on Twitter (@ABCwineKat) and let me know some mix and matching you can think of!

Kathleen Anderson, North/West Wine Supervisor