Wine pairing with Vitagliano Pizza
The space is all glass and light, with a wide view onto the pizza line and the custom oven bearing Vitagliano’s name. It looked like a creation out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, framed by bold industrial piping overhead.
In the small open kitchen, three cooks work in clear choreography. Two topped the dough, and one was stationed permanently at the oven with a long pool, shoving pizzas in and yanking them out in a series of sharp tugs. Watching him, I felt he could make an excellent lifeguard.
Vitagliano is part of the generation that turned pizza making into an obsession. He built a style on 36‑hour leavening, high hydration, type 1 organic flour and unusually low salt to maximize lightness and digestibility.
You taste that philosophy in the first bite, and it shapes every pairing decision that follows. This isn’t the heavy, oil‑laden pizza that cries out for a beer. Instead his creations are an airy, blistered, canotto‑style crust that behaves more like a piece of artisinal bread.
We started with a spring pizza and Lambrusco di Modena Rosé from Ventiventi, a bottle that would have shattered most preconceptions about Lambrusco at first sip.
The pizza itself was my ideal opening move: a green, asparagus‑driven combination whose power came from simplicity and the precision of the bake rather than any pile‑up of ingredients.
The Lambrusco, 26 months on lees, poured copper‑pink with fine, persistent bubbles and a tart, cranberry‑and‑citrus snap that lifted the sweetness of the vegetables without overwhelming them.
The sommelier, Sara Tosti, leaned on the same logic sparkling specialists have used with fried pizza for years: a sparkler.
Bubbles and acidity scrub away fat and salt, resetting the palate for the next bite. Yet here the unique flavor profile of the Lambrusco also amplified spring flavors rather than just cleaning up after them.
If the first wine and pizza pairing showed that a “humble” grape can play in serious territory, the second pairing reminded me how classical the classic Margherita pizza becomes in the right hands.
Vitagliano’s version, paired with a Vermentino di Sardegna DOC, was radical in its restraint: just enough tomato, mozzarella, and basil to mark the type.
Visually the pizza was almost austere, with most of the real drama happening in the inflated, leopard‑spotted cornicione (crust).
The Sardinian Vermentino—bright, saline, with Mediterranean herbs and citrus—met the tomato’s natural acidity at eye level instead of fighting it. At the same time a subtle bitter‑almond note in the finish locked onto the char on the crust.
It was a reminder that for “red” pizza, you don’t need tannin to make a point. You need a wine whose acidity can negotiate with the sauce without becoming shrill.
The third pairing moved deeper into tomato and smoke: a marinara “sbagliata”/montanara‑style pizza built on tomato, garlic, and a concentrated tomato jam, served with Vermentino di Gallura Superiore “Cucaione” from Piero Mancini.
Gallura’s Vermentino has more structure and glycerol than its island cousins, and that additional weight was exactly what the dish demanded. The wine’s ripe stone fruit, saline backbone, and firm acidity stood up to the sweetness and intensity of the double tomato treatment.
Here, it seems that when you increase intensity and sweetness in the topping (even savory sweetness, like slow‑cooked tomato), you have to give the wine more mid‑palate and length so it doesn’t vanish mid‑slice.
The final savory course was the most complex and the most instructive from a pairing standpoint. The “che cavolo” pizza arrived as a small jigsaw puzzle of contrasts: pumpkin cream, pan‑seared pork sausage, chopped chili pepper, pecorino, and black truffle paired with Salice Salentino Negroamaro Rosato “Rosalbòre” from Cantine San Pancrazio.
Visually, it the pizza looked like comfort food; aromatically, it was pure high‑wire act, with smoke from the oven, earth from the truffle, fat and fennel from the sausage. Combined with the vegetal warmth of the pumpkin the aromas and flavors all competed for attention.
A red with serious tannin would have clashed with the chili and exaggerated the heat. A white would have disappeared behind the pork and truffle. The Salice rosato threaded the needle with its medium body, wild strawberry and pomegranate fruit. It had enough acidity and faint tannic grip to cut through fat while staying nimble around the spice.
What tied these wine pairing choices together was a clear sense of what each style of pizza needed from the glass. Sara Tosti’s sommelier style is discreet rather than showy.Lambrusco wasn’t there because it’s trendy, but because high‑acid, long‑lees bubbles erase the oil and salt of a spring pizza while echoing its energy.
Vermentino showed up twice to demonstrate how small gradations in weight and salinity change the way tomato and char read on the palate. Salice rosato brought southern structure without the baggage of drying tannin, letting a very modern, maximalist pizza stay hedonistic without becoming exhausting.
This was a fun way to discover the new “pizzaola” in town and how easily wine can pair with pizza when both are done right.
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These are the wines, part of the Coldiretti family of Italian wines.
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Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut Charmat – Vendrame Vignis del Doge
Ribolla Gialla Spumante Brut Charmat from Vendrame Vignis del Doge is a dry, very fresh sparkling wine, built on bright acidity and a citrusy feel. On the nose you get white flowers, green apple, and lemon zest. On the palate it is crisp and clean, with fine bubbles and a dry, thirst‑quenching finish. It is a perfect aperitif and works very well with light fried foods and vegetable‑topped pizzas.
Lambrusco di Modena DOC Rosé – Ventiventi Winery
Lambrusco di Modena DOC Rosé from Ventiventi immediately surprises with its coppery, “onion‑skin” color, reminiscent of serious gastronomic rosé. The 26 months on the lees give it a fine, creamy mousse, very far from the idea of simple, sweet Lambrusco. On the palate it has sharp acidity, great cleanliness, and a dry finish with notes of small red fruits and citrus. It is the kind of sparkling wine that can change how you think about Lambrusco, perfect with cured meats, mortadella pizza, or savory toppings.
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC – “Chlamys”, Accademia Olearia Tenuta Fois
Vermentino di Sardegna DOC “Chlamys” from Accademia Olearia Tenuta Fois expresses the maritime character of the island: aromas of Mediterranean herbs, citrus, and white flowers. On the palate it is dry and saline, with bright acidity and a light, easy‑drinking feel that invites another sip. The finish is fresh, savory, with a slight almond note. It is an ideal white for pizzas with fish, shellfish, or toppings with a briny, seaside character.
Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG – “Cucaione”, Piero Mancini
Vermentino di Gallura Superiore DOCG “Cucaione” by Piero Mancini represents the more structured, important side of Sardinian Vermentino. On the nose it offers ripe yellow fruit, flowers, aromatic herbs, and a clear mineral imprint. On the palate it is full‑bodied yet taut, with a fine balance between weight, acidity, and salinity. It has a long, complex finish, perfect for gourmet pizzas with shellfish, bottarga, or umami‑rich ingredients.
Salice Salentino Negroamaro Rosato DOP – “Rosalbore”, Cantine San Pancrazio
Salice Salentino Negroamaro Rosato DOP “Rosalbore” from Cantine San Pancrazio combines the structure of Negroamaro with the freshness of a dry rosé. On the nose you find wild strawberries, pomegranate, and a light floral hint. On the palate it is soft yet supported by good acidity, with a dry, slightly savory finish. It is a very gastronomic rosé, perfect with flavorful pizzas, cured meats, intense tomato, and semi‑aged cheeses.
Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC – “Castellano”, Cantina dei Colli Ripani
Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC “Castellano” from Cantina dei Colli Ripani is a Marche red based on Montepulciano and Sangiovese, elegant yet with plenty of character. The aromas recall black cherry, plum, sweet spices, and a gentle balsamic note. On the palate it is smooth, with present but polished tannins and enough acidity to keep it versatile at the table. It pairs beautifully with pizzas topped with meats, sausage, mushrooms, or smoked ingredients.
Colli Pesaresi Sangiovese Riserva DOC – “Timoteo”, Di Sante Winery
Colli Pesaresi Sangiovese Riserva DOC “Timoteo” from Di Sante is a Sangiovese with depth and strong sense of place. On the nose you get ripe cherry, violet, notes of tobacco and spices, with well‑integrated wood if it has seen barrel aging. On the palate it is structured, with fine tannins, good freshness, and a long aromatic finish. It is ideal for the most intense pizzas, with ragù, red meats, aged cheeses, or smoked elements that need power and length.
