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Great Wines for Pizza Night

By Stacy Slinkard, About.com

It used to be that when your ordered your favorite pizza, you double-checked the fridge to make sure that you also had some beer available to accompany the Italian pie. However, times have changed and wine can definitely be your pizza's best new found friend.

Where to start?

Take your "typical" pizza - we'll go with tomato sauce, lots of mozzarella cheese, topped with plenty of pepperoni and a traditional thin crust. Wines that would work well with this order would need lower acid levels, since the tomato sauce will contribute plenty of acid on its own, and should carry fruit very forward to conquer the sugar/acid combination of the tomato. Key wines to consider here would be a medium-bodied Syrah or Shiraz , an Italian Chianti , a medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon or a California Zinfandel.

What About the White Pizza? If you opt for the enigmatic white pizza from time to time, totally devoid of the tomato sauce, then your wine options expand even more. A bubbly Champagne , a Pinot Grigio or an earthy Sauvignon Blanc , would all hold up well to the lighter style of the white pizza flavor combinations.

Regardless of your pizza preference, don't spend more on your wine than you would on your pizza! A bargain wine would be the wine of choice for your next pizza night.

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