The beginning of the year is marked by resolution, a time of regrouping. Often, we set goals, or intentions to change something about ourselves. I look at the start of a new year as a time of renewal and focus more on what resonates with me most. Naturally, that involves an exploration of food and cooking.
In January, we stay inside more, hunker down and try our hands at creating new dishes or altering old standbys. Making pizza is one of these. In our family, each one of us likes a different type of pizza. My go-to is vegetable pizza. My youngest daughter, the last child still at home, likes the classic cheese or Margherita style. My older daughter wants only cheese. My son enjoys the same as my husband, any pizza clothed in meat. Like father, like son.
Whether you too are trying your hand at making pizza like we do, or are ordering out from your local pizza place, try one of these pairing suggestions that include wines from local Rhode Island-based vineyards or wineries. You will be in for a culinary delight and supporting the local economy.
Classic cheese or Margherita pizza. The classic cheese pizza is, of course, simply tomato sauce and cheese. Margherita style is similar to the classic, consisting of fresh tomatoes, cheese and basil.
Pairing: As the easiest pizzas to pair with wine, I recommend Anchor & Hope’s rosé. Anchor & Hope is a wife-and-husband duo who produces wine here in Rhode Island from grapes in vineyards with which they partner in California, Oregon and Europe. They are doing some cool things. Rosé is one of the best wines for pairing with food. Anchor & Hope’s rosé is made from the two grapes cabernet franc and St. Laurent that are grown in Germany, yet it’s made here in R.I. Sustainable, it’s fresh, light and zippy. The couple makes the wine in a drier style, full of great red berry notes. Its acid is the right amount to cut through the cheese and tomato sauces.
[caption id="attachment_392284" align="aligncenter" width="931"]
COUNTERBALANCING: Greenvale Vineyards cabernet franc goes
well with a pepperoni
or sausage pizza. / COURTESY JESSICA
NORRIS GRANATIERO[/caption]
Pepperoni or sausage pizza. The marriage of pepperoni or sausage with cheese and sauce is a gastronomic delight. The sweetness of the cheese counterbalances the meat’s saltiness.
Pairing: The tomato sauce’s acid and meat’s saltiness are calling for a wine to calm that down. In addition, the tomato sauce and meat need a wine with acid. For this, I like Greenvale Vineyards cabernet franc, which is the name of the grape. This selection has all the components – acid, body and fruit – that this style needs.
It has just the right amount of weight, without being heavy.
Vegetable pizza. This is one of my personal favorites. I like it full of mushrooms, caramelized onions, eggplant and red or yellow peppers, and love the array of colors that the vegetables bring forth. The more vegetables, the better, creating an artful masterpiece.
Pairing: I choose the white wine prana from Sakonnet Vineyards, located in Little Compton.
Prana brings together two grapes – vidal blanc and gewurztraminer – for an off-dry (half-dry) wine with beautiful notes of orange peel and citrus. Fresh, vibrant and medium-bodied, the wine has weight that can stand up to the cheese without overpowering the vegetable’s delicate nature.
Hawaiian pizza. I never developed a taste for Hawaiian pizza, covered in pineapple and ham, but many love it.
Pairing: The sweetness of the pineapples dovetails well with the saltiness of the ham. For this, you need a wine that can match well with both components. Newport Vineyards’ riesling is the go-to for this style of pizza. In Middletown, Newport produces a sweeter-style riesling that presents with high yet balanced acidity. The sweetness in the wine is needed for the pineapple, and the acid is needed for the ham. It’s a perfect marriage.
Jessica Granatiero is the founder of The Savory Grape, a wine, beer and spirits shop in East Greenwich. She can be reached through her website, www.jessicagranatiero.com.
