Chegge vevimmo ?
(What shall we drink?)

Neapolitans tend to consume bubbly drinks with Pizza. Beer and even Coca Cola are popular and (believe it or not) very suitable choices. A wine coming from the area in and around Gragnano, which is near Naples, is commonly considered perfect Pizza wine. This wine is slightly lower in alcohol than typical red wines and slightly effervescent. Made mostly from the red Piedirosso grape, this wine is served chilled. It is also served with Panouzzo, which is a sandwich from this area made with pizza dough, stuffed with meats and cheeses, and cooked in a wood fired oven. As a side note, some of the best pasta comes from Gragnano.

Big, bold wines usually served for big meals, are never drunk with Pizza. Simple wines such as the Gragnano are better choices than Barolo, Brunello, and Amarone etc. Of course, you may drink Nero D'Avola, Dolcetto, Aglianico, Chianti, Greco, Falanghina, etc if you like.

When matching beverages with Pizza, it is not only important to consider what matches with the items placed on top of the pizza but also what matches with what I like to call the bottom of it. When you pick up a pizza, observe the cooked, dusty bottom of it and imagine which wine or drink (usually bubbly) matches that. Trust me.