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Wine & Pizza: A Perfect Pick
Last month, while my colleagues scoured the state for the perfect pizza, my tasting panel and I conducted some research of our own, sampling wines to pair with delicious, homemade pies. We came up with some unusual picks. First up, the Austrian varietal wine, Zweigelt.
Zweigelt and American-style pizza make a very agreeable pair. In fact, they have something in common. Relative newcomers in the lineage of food and wine, they borrowed from their ancestors to perfect their flavors—both becoming popular sensations.
The red grape Zweigelt (also called Blauer Zweigelt) is known in wine vernacular as a crossing—a new grape born of two others of the same species (Blaufränkisch x St. Laurent) that are bred (in this case by a fellow named Zweigelt in 1922) to combine the best characteristics of each “parent” grape.
The iconic wine importer Terry Theise calls Zweigelt “the last word in red wine” that “at its best is oh-so-drinkable.” I have to agree.
Giving flavors of ripe cherry and blueberry, balanced acidity, softer tannins, and a slight peppery note, Zweigelt is now Austria’s most popular red. Like pizza, it is made in a variety of styles—light and juicy or with more depth and age-worthiness.
The two Zweigelts we sampled for our tasting are in the light-to-medium-bodied camp and both are made from organically farmed grapes. Packaged in liter bottles sporting hip, crown-cap closures, they came with price tags that were very down to earth.
Weingut Hofer Zweigelt 2008 ($15.99): The lighter bodied of the two wines, with a full-on cherry character that was simple and juicy.
Blauer Zweigelt Berger 2008 ($13.99): Medium bodied with loads of blueberry fruit and funky, spicy notes.
Both of these wines were oh-so-perfect for pizza night!
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