Sparkling Whites from Mendo’s Scharffenberger and Marche’s Mai Sentito Pair with Pizza

What are your favorite pairings with pizza? When I was a kid, it was root beer. When I was older, I loved sharing pizza and a pitcher of beer with friends, and famed Italian pizza chef swears by beer; he even has a signature beer available at his award winning restaurants 50 Kalo in Rome, Naples, and London.  Wine lovers like me turn to red wine, favoring Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and if I can find it, Nerello Mascalese.  But on a warm summer night, I like a sparkling white wine with my pizza– and at  50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo in Rome on a 90 degree day paired with a cheeseless tomato, olive, garlic, basil, and anchovy pizza, I went with a glass of Courteaura Franciacorta, much to the eye rolling and tittering of the staff. (When I selected this pizza, they asked if I’d ever eaten there before… )

my pizza at 50 Kalò di Ciro Salvo in Rome

So when Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles suggested a prompt of unexpected white wine pairings for the Italian Food Wine Travel group of wine writers, Sue and I brainstormed a few ideas, and I convinced her we should do pepperoni pizza and sparkling wine! It didn’t take a lot of convincing, as Sue loves pepperoni pizza as well as sparkling wine. In fact, she pulled out two wines from her cellar, a Verdicchio from Marche and a Sharffenberger from Mendocino for our experiment. 

Was pepperoni pizza and sparkling wine a success? YES! Sue wondered: “Why have we never done this before?”

Everything on the pizza just pops when paired with sparkling wine. The acidity in the tomato sauce matches the acidity in the wine, the salinity/minerality in the wine matches that in the pizza,  the  yeasty dough highlights the brioche in the wine, and the cheese bring everything into balance. While we had quality wine and quality ingredients, this is a solid pairing that would work with most any pepperoni pizza and sparkling wine.   People have beer and pizza all of the time because it works. But, sparkling wine has the same qualities and work equally well with the sparkling wine. Both wines were completely different yet perfect with our meal. 

Scharffenberger, Brut Excellence, Mendocino 
La Staffa, Mai Sentito, Marche IGT

Menu

• Pepperoni pizza with Sue’s homemade crust, organic Italian sauce, and fresh mozzarella sprinkled with Chile flakes and parmesan 

Wines

• Scharffenberger, Brut Excellence, Mendocino 
• La Staffa, Mai Sentito, Marche IGT

Scharffenberger  Brut Excellence, Mendocino

Scharffenberger  Brut Excellence, Mendocino

ABV: 12.5%
SRP: $23
Grapes: sustainably grown and organic 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir
Sue purchased as a member of their wine club.

Founded by John Scharffenberger in 1981 and joining the Roederer Collection in 2004, Scharffenberger Cellars specializes in sparkling wine made from sustainably grown grapes from Mendocino’s Anderson Valley vineyards close to the coast. Winemaker Jeffrey Jindra’s sparkling wines showcase the Mendocino County terroir.

Appearance:  Lemon, pale lemon, delicate bubbles

Aroma: Cloves and apples, brioche, apple croissant, cinnamon, baked apple and fresh granny smith apple, 

Palate: Tart apple, caramel apple, creme brûlée, soft and round texturally, smells and tastes like a very classy wine, so balanced and lovely to enjoy, 

Pairing: The complexity in the wine shines with this everyday meal. The homemade crust is so very light, ti goes with the light and airy charachteristic of the wine.

NV La Staffa, Mai Sentito, Marche IGT

NV La Staffa, Mai Sentito Pet-Nat, Marche IGT

ABV: 11%
SRP: 
Grapes: organic 80% Verdicchio, 20% Trebbiano
Importer: Oliver McCrum Wines
Sue purchased at Point de Chene, Ojai.

“Mai Sentito!” means “never heard” in Italian because who has heard of a Verdicchio pet-nat? 

location of La Staffa in Marche

Grapes were softly pressed, spontaneously fermented following the “pied de cuve” technique. Towards the end of fermentation the wine is bottled in a way that can end the fermentation in the bottle and become frizzante. The process lasts 2 weeks to up to 50 days. In the cellar aged at least 6 months in the bottle with its yeasts to develop prior to release. The yeast is not disgorged so the wine pours a little cloudy.

Appearance:  Cloudy, daffodil yellow, not quite gold but a deep yellow,  delicate bubbles

Aroma: Heavy brioche, yeast and minerals, Eureka lemon, citrus blossom, has a natural wine smell

Palate: Tart lemon, tart green apple, nectarine,  clean minerals, fresh and appealing, nice texture, chalky, earthen finish, cement or amphora?

Pairing: The wine responds nicely to the tomato sauce. This wine loves tomato sauce. The wine was also able to pick up the herbs that were present in the crust. It was a wonderful pairing with a perfectly wonderful wine. For a vegetarian option, try mushroom and olive or anything with a meaty salty quality. Sun-dried tomatoes would also work nicely with this wine. 

Here’s what’s happening and who’s dong what for this weekend’s #WinePW event “Unexpected White Wine Pairings”:

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “PBJ and Gewurtz? Say What?!!”
• Cam of Culinary Cam shares “Pecorino Times Three: Two Cheeses and a Wine with a Lamb Burger”
• Andrea of The Quirky Cork shares “Assyrtiko, Keftedes, and Salt”
• David of Cooking Chat Shares “Grilled Filet Mignon with Mushrooms and White Wine”
• Jane of Always Ravenous shares, “Lamb Curry paired with Viognier”
• Here on Wine Predator we share“Yes, Sparkling Whites from Mendo’s Scharffenberger and Marche’s Mai Sentito Pair with Pizza!“
• Robin of Crushed Grape Chronicles shares, “Sauvignon Blanc with Lamb and Cocoa?“
• And Susannah with Avvinare shares “Pinot Grigio from Valadige and Shrimp with Green Sauce“

A chat on threads (with some of us possibly on twitter) is planned for Sat. Aug. 11 following these prompts and led by Robin @CrushedGrapeChron: