GMG Perfect Pairings: Pizza Hut and Primitivo

I make really good homemade pizza, sometimes. You busy moms know what I am talking about -- that "theoretical" pizza with yummy whole wheat crust and healthy toppings that my friend Dawn actually makes? (She also makes her own bread, damn her!) Then there's the mad dash that the rest of the world makes to order pizza for dinner when life is just too frazzled to even turn on the oven.

Americans love pizza, and the good news is that this beloved quick dinner staple is a natural to pair with wine -- from the acidity of tomato sauce to herbs like oregano or toppings like spicy pepperoni, it's a food item that lends itself well to one of my favorite inexpensive Italian sippers, a wine called primitivo.  As its grape name might imply, this isn't a break-the-bank Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino, but rather is a tasty little gem from Puglia in the hot, hot, hot nether regions of Italy's heel. 

Interestingly, primitivo is a genetic relative of our own beloved American zinfandel grape. Both these wines demonstrate ripe, "jammy" cooked fruit flavors with mouth-filling texture, but tend to be less-structured and less tannic than big cabernets, for example. Simply put, primitivo is easy, everyday wine that will make your Pizza Hut pepperoni pie taste better. Really. And while you're at it, crack out the nicer wine glasses, pull out some plates, turn off the TV, and crank up some Andrea Bocelli.  It's amazing what a little wine and some atmosphere can bring to your dinner hour!

SUGGESTED PRIMITIVO WINES:

$:  A Mano, Primitivo  (Puglia, Italy - 2004) - $11

$$:  Li Veli, "Orion," Primitivo  (Salento, Italy - 2004) - $13