The best, food and wine pairings impress because they elevate each other. There’s a delicious synergy that emerges, which when all the stars align, will convince you that food and wine has a third rail. In this case though, it’s a third rail you want to touch, or rather ingest, over and over again. For me, pizza and wine is simply one of my favorite pairings on earth. My main go to grapes to pair with pizza are Cinsault, Grenache, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Gamay. But toppings matter too and if I want to go a bit bolder, Zinfandel may come into play, particularly if sausage is involved.
I was going to try out a Pizzeria not too far from me, with with a 40+ year history, that I’d yet to hit. What I heard was that their Palermo pie was the star of their show. A Palermo pie is similar to a Grandma pie. The big differentiator is the sauce on a Palermo tends to be herb rich. I’ve been living a bit of a Rosé all day summer, so I chilled one and made my way to Dominick’s in Newton, NJ.
Saget La Perrière “La Petite Perrière” Rosé 2023 ($14)
This Rosé is entirely Pinot Noir, largely from the Loire Valley. Their main vineyard is biodiverse and certified HVE3. This is a thirst quenching Pinot Noir, loaded with racy acid. It has that perfect light salmon hue that comes to mind when I’m drinking carafe after carafe of Rosé in my dreams. Tart red fruit in the form of raspberry and cherry dominate alongside citrus and hints of white pepper. The finish lingers and begs you back for additional sips. At $14 this is an absolute steal, well worth a case purchase so you have some left for Thanksgiving.
The Palermo pie from Dominick’s has the aforementioned herb rich sauce and they also put red onion on it, which is a nice touch. We opted for Green bell pepper on half of it. Despite being a square pie they cut it into triangles, assuring that each slice has crust. I love that move. Their sauce is phenomenal, sweet and rich but not over the top. The overall flavors and texture of the pie are terrific as well. It had just the right amount of cheese. The pairing between the pie and the Saget La Perrière “La Petite Perrière” Rosé was an absolute thing of beauty. They came together to form that magical third rail of flavor. Next time I go there I’d order the Palermo well done as I like it just a bit crispier. I heartily recommend both the Rosé and the Pizza. Dominick’s was terrific overall. Warm service and the Mesclun Salad and Rice Ball we pre-gamed the pie with were also delicious. The pizza and wine together though, that was the star. That said, either will still be delicious on their own.
Eat great pizza, drink awesome Rosé.