Wines
"Pizza wine" and wine for pizza aren't necessarily one and the same.
A "pizza wine" is shop talk for easy-sipping plonk of no particular distinction. It's relatively cheap, tastes good and works well with casual foods and informal settings.
 Wine for pizza can be deliciously different.
Though it should be affordable enough to down a glass while sprawled on a garden lounger or your couch, the wine also should be something to remember even after eating your pizza. Choosing such a wine can take some thought, but that's probably appropriate given the food you're pairing it with is pizza.
Pairing wine with pizza can be a challenge. Consider the tomato sauce, gutsy toppings, the high collar of crust and a thick blanket of cheese.
The tomato is the difficult thing. The tomato sauce has a lot of acidity and sugar, which is why beer works so well. A wine has to have reasonably low acidity and lots of fruit. It also has to be heard over the milky proteins of the cheese.
If asked to name wines that go well with pizza, we'd suggest that a "nice light Chianti" that would help cut the tomato sauce.
However, the Tuscan wine's acidity tends to be made more shrill by the tomato sauce. For some people, reds from the southern Italian region of Apulia, the "heel" of Italy's boot, work better. They are "ripe, spicy, fruity and delicious," he said.
Other Italians to consider include inexpensive barberas, rosso di Montalcino from southern Tuscany or a dolcetto d'Alba from Italy's Piedmont region.
Outside of Italy, wine merchants point to hearty, assertive reds, including shiraz from Australia and California zinfandel.
How much to pay for wine with pizza? We suggest looking for bargains in lesser-known wine regions of Italy. The further south you go, the more money you save.
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