Pizza Margherita Deserves Lambrusco

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Pizza Margherita is a test of restraint: tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil and a dough with a properly blistered crust. It looks simple and tastes complex, with acidity from the tomato, richness from the cheese and a smoky char from the oven. It needs a wine that is fresh, fruity and unfussy, and Italy already makes the perfect one.

Why Lambrusco

Lambrusco, the sparkling red of Emilia-Romagna, spent decades known for sweet, mass-produced export versions. The real thing is very different: dry or nearly dry, deeply coloured, bright with acidity and lightly fizzy. The bubbles and acidity cut through mozzarella. The red-fruit flavours meet the tomato. Its light tannin and chilled serving temperature make it refreshing in a way a still red never is with pizza.

The different Lambrusco grapes give different styles. Sorbara is pale and delicate; Grasparossa is darker, fuller and more tannic.

At the Table

Serve Lambrusco chilled, at 10 to 12°C (50 to 54°F). It is also excellent with salumi, so open it while the oven heats.

The Bottles

Lini 910 Labrusca Lambrusco Rosso

A dry, honest family-made Lambrusco with bright fruit and a lively fizz. The easy, everyday pizza bottle. Shop it at Wine.com.

Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Vigneto Cialdini 2023

From one of Modena’s historic houses, a dark, structured Grasparossa for a pizza topped with salami or sausage. Shop it at Wine.com.

One Rule

If the pizza is hot, the Lambrusco should be cold.

The Pairing is Santé’s daily column on one dish and the wine that makes it better. A new pairing every evening.