A pizza and wine night is the epitome of blending Italian deliciousness all in one. Sometimes one *actually* tastes better paired with the other...
Have you ever noticed that?!
Not only is pizza bomb on it's own, but pair it with the BEST Italian wines and you have a recipe for the best wine night on. the. planet.
(I'm actually not even kidding, people travel to Italy JUST for pizza and wine, and you can do it in the comfort of your own home)
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Learn more here.
When I had my first "Italian food wine" I was blown away by how accurate that statement is. A food wine just feels and tastes different...
I'm not sure how to describe it, honestly. But, once you taste a food wine and someone says "oh, this is a great food wine" immediately a light bulb will go off in your brain. Then, suddenly everything makes sense.
So, here you will learn the Italian wines that are great with PIZZA! You can find these online (links below), and find the best homemade pizza recipes to go with your new found favorite wines.
This post is all about pizza and wine night.
Pizza and Wine Night
Here's one to my red wine drinkers *raises glass*! If you haven't tried these Italian reds, you are in for a special treat! When I first got introduced, I was honestly VERY surprised.
You may just find your new favorite go-to pizza wine...
Best Italian Wine for Pizza
1. Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
One of my favorite Italian reds from Abruzzo, Italy. This wine is medium bodied, fruity, and has softer tannins. So, it is a PERFECT food wine.
Best pizza pairing: Meat heavy pizza toppings, and also goes well with veggie toppings.
Wine flavors: Blackberry, plum, cherry, and a hint of spice usually.
Serving tip: Serve at room temperature.
2. Barbera d'Asti
A wine from Piedmont, Italy! It is medium bodied with a bit of acidity so it's great with tomato sauces and herbs, mushrooms, onions, and basically VEGGIE NATION.
When I had this it was more acidic than I realized and man o man was it tasty. Pairs perfectly with tomato sauce and veggie toppings. DO NOT eat with anything spicy, my Frank's Red Hot friends out there, detain yourself!
Best pizza pairing: Classic margherita pizza, mushroom pizza, veggie pizza, or pizza with a lot of herbs.
Wine flavors: Blackberry, raspberry and some earthy notes.
Serving tip: Serve slightly chilled, since it has some acidity chilling the wine will make that pop!
3. Nero d'Avola
A wine from Sicily! A bold red with deep flavors and moderate tannin levels. This one will be the most bold red out of the three, so my cabernet drinkers this one is for you!!
Plus, the label is adorable. Not flashy, but adorable!
Best pizza pairing: Spicy pizza, sausage, pepperoni, spicy chili oil
Wine flavors: Black cherry, plum, licorice, and cocoa
Serving tip: Serve at room temperature, allow to sit in the glass for a few minutes to open up!
Homemade Pizza and Wine Night
Personally, I love to order in pizza. Cracking open that cardboard box and being wafted by the mouthwatering smells of my pizza just. can't. be. beat.
However, a good pizza and wine night idea is to make your own pizza! Also, a to-die-for date night idea for some Italian flare.
Honestly, finding these recipes is making me want pizza... And its 7am. Enjoy!
Mouth-watering pizza recipes to make at home:
Sausage Pizza with Spicy Chili Oil
Pizza and Wine Night Ideas
Now that you have your wine picked out, and your homemade pizza on the move, let's dive into the best pizza and wine night ideas to bring it all together!
1. Movie night
An obvious choice, a pizza and movie night. This is normally my go-to! some good movies to choose from:
- Any Quentin Tarantino movie
- Dazed and Confused
- Eat, Pray, Love
- The Godfather
- Don't Worry Darling (my favorite Netflix movie!)
2. Candles and porch-ing
A lovely wine date night idea! Grab some candles, wine, pizza, and set up a cute little back porch set up. You could even put some fresh cut flowers in a vase for a bit more romantic evening. (Then, start to plan your trip to Italy!)
3. Sunset picnic
Take your wine and pizza and go drive somewhere that has a beautiful picnic area. Maybe you live close to the mountains or the beach. Bring a camping blanket and enjoy a sunset pizza and wine night with your girlfriends or your partner!
4. Game night
A date night idea, or a wine party idea, perfect for anyone who loves games! If you made your own pizza or if you ordered in, you really can't go wrong with game night.
Some game night ideas:
- Uno
- Poker
- Cards Against Humanity
- Codenames
- Pictionary
- Scrabble
- Charades (!!)
5. Wine tasting pizza party
For anyone interested in sharing your new wines, have a little pizza and wine party. Make the three pizzas that pair with the three wines and bam! Try different wines, eat some delicious pizza, what could be better?!
6. Pizza making!
Either a party or date idea, each person makes their own pizza and brings it. Then, you all get to decide which one you like better, and plus you get to eat more pizza, so sounds like a win win.
7. Art and pizza wine night
Get creative with your pizza and wine... Bring in some fun crafts to do alone or with friends. Check out our wine night ideas for more crafty inspo!
This post was all about a pizza and wine night.