what are you most likely to grab with traditional red sauce, cheese & meat pizza?

[Nathan_Smyth]

@AlexS

any white wine recs in particular?

Prosecco.

The problem with pizza [and Americanized pseudo-Italian cuisine in general] isn’t the tomato sauce so much as it is the oregano.

Oregano is the thermonuclear herb - it obliterates everything in its path.

[Daniel_McIntosh]

A hoppy IPA like Saga or Day Tripper.

[Bill_Sweeney]

Sorry, but montepulciano is the best call.

[Gary_York]

Lots of bad choices listed above, take your pick. Beer or coke is probably best. Followed by a simple Italian red.

[M_Dildine]

@Gary York

Lots of bad choices listed above, take your pick. Beer or coke is probably best. Followed by a simple Italian red.

If you say so Gary!

[Michae1_P0wers]

Chianti. Lots of bizarre in this thread. First I doubt that oregano obliterates wine but I also don’t use oregano with pizza. I don’t find mozz insipid, but I do try to use a freshly made local version. Lastly the idea that pizza is unfriendly to wine does not align with my experience. After Chianti I also like dolcetto, lacrima, Frappato and barbera.

[DougS]

I think rose or a flavorful white works better than most reds. Pizza is one of the few foods with which I enjoy really fruitful, bold reds (Spanish or New World), because most Italian reds either get overwhelmed or taste awkward. It depends a lot on the specific pizza, though. I do think tannins are the enemy. Sangiovese doesn’t work at all for me.

[craig_v]

Agreed, I don’t drink much of it but, a good fit.

@Thomas Keim

I’d throw Montepulciano in the mix as well Craig - It’s a pretty popular “mass gulped” red in Italy and the serious offerings are pretty stunning. Mainly from The Marches and Abruzzo but it flows like water in much of Italy -

[craig_v]

Do the CDR guys here see it as wildly different than the CdP option? I usually think of CDR as a poor man’s CdP with many( not all) having the same general blend of grapes but I suppose some CDR can be somewhat leaner than CdP. Or, is because its cheaper?

[craig_v]

How was the wine? I’ve almost bought one to try a couple times.

@A. Kohse

Something with fruit on the red spectrum, ample acidity and tame tannins. Tonight, that’s a simple Faiveley 2012 Bourgogne Rouge with a mushroom, pepperoni, pepper and onion pizza made under the broiler on a pizza steel.

[A_Kohse]

@craig v

How was the wine? I’ve almost bought one to try a couple times.

@A. Kohse

Something with fruit on the red spectrum, ample acidity and tame tannins. Tonight, that’s a simple Faiveley 2012 Bourgogne Rouge with a mushroom, pepperoni, pepper and onion pizza made under the broiler on a pizza steel.

I’d definitely recommend it. I’ve had a few bottles and they’ve all been very nice and really solid values. Across their lineup, I think Faiveley really killed it in 2012 (the Beze and Clos des Cortons are mind-blowing wines). The serious stuff is going to be epic in time, but the Bourgogne is just a really enjoyable drink now.

[Joe_S]

We don’t usually make pizza with meat on them unless it’s chicken based. That’s why I selected Brunello - if it was a red meat based pizza, I would go bolder like Zin.

[Paul_Luckin]

@Daniel McIntosh

A hoppy IPA like Saga or Day Tripper.

^^goodposting^^

Ballast Point Sculpin also fits the bill.

if forced to choose wine, a balanced Zin.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Doug Schulman

I think rose or a flavorful white works better than most reds. Pizza is one of the few foods with which I enjoy really fruitful, bold reds (Spanish or New World), because most Italian reds either get overwhelmed or taste awkward. It depends a lot on the specific pizza, though. …

+1. I voted for Rose.

[etomasi]

@craig v

Do the CDR guys here see it as wildly different than the CdP option? I usually think of CDR as a poor man’s CdP with many( not all) having the same general blend of grapes but I suppose some CDR can be somewhat leaner than CdP. Or, is because its cheaper?

Basically yes. When I eat pizza, its rarely on a night that I want to open an expensive bottle. Therefore, a cheaper red rhone (CDR), or other red from the languedoc can also work. I tend to think the garrique works well with the herbs on pizza. But most of the time, if I have a good one, I prefer a chianti.

[Rob_Hansult]

@Daniel McIntosh

A hoppy IPA like Saga or Day Tripper.

Too many so-so/mediocre calls here to name, but Beer is clearly a better beverage than most vino for pizza.

A good IPA (or DIPA) would be excellent . . . or a Saison . . . nothing would beat a Gueuze, or an American Wild Ale with some hops in the background . . . but it’s Pizza, & any of a dozen kinds of Beer would be a better match for it than any wines listed so far.

A good, Frizzante Lambrusco would be fine too . . .

Also like Andy’s suggestion of Ruby, or LBV Port - with a bit of a chill on it.

It’s about the flavors.

[Charlie_A]

With an only meat-and-cheese pizza, I usually pick a cool-climate Syrah (my vote for the poll). With more veggies/mushrooms/black olives, I usually go Pinot (Burg/CA/OR) or Etna Rosso.

[ToddFrench]

Zinfandel

[Nathan_Smyth]

@Gary York

Lots of bad choices listed above, take your pick

@Rob Hansult

Too many so-so/mediocre calls here to name

Apparently they’ve got something at CPK now called “Korean BBQ Chicken”.

Anyway, for your Thai Chicken and your Original BBQ and whatnot, grab a nice spritzy Moscato d’Asti with a ton of fizz on it.

[Craig_G]

@craig v

Do the CDR guys here see it as wildly different than the CdP option? I usually think of CDR as a poor man’s CdP with many( not all) having the same general blend of grapes but I suppose some CDR can be somewhat leaner than CdP. Or, is because its cheaper?

For me it’s price and my drinking pattern. If I were a lot richer, I might drink young Vieux Telegraphe and Pignan as my CDRs, but in practice I drink cheaper CdR young and I age a small set of Chateauneufs, so they end up as very different categories.