Pizza and Drink Pairing News 2025: Sommeliers and Craft Beer Experts Weigh In

The conversation around what to drink with pizza has matured considerably in 2025, with professional beverage experts applying serious consideration to a food pairing question that was previously left entirely to casual preference.

The Wine Community Formally Embraces Pizza Pairing

Several major wine competitions have introduced pizza pairing categories in 2025, formalizing what had previously been informal sommelier knowledge into evaluated, scored assessments. The Italian wine community — somewhat predictably — has been particularly active: Chianti Classico, Barbera d'Asti, and Vermentino are among the wines receiving formal recognition as outstanding pizza companions.

The practical implication for consumers is a growing body of credible, expert-vetted pairing recommendations rather than the generic "Italian wine with Italian food" advice that dominated previous discourse.

Craft Beer and Pizza: A Maturing Relationship

The craft beer community's engagement with pizza pairing has accelerated through dedicated tasting events, pizzeria-brewery collaborations, and published style guides from major beer organizations. The general framework that has emerged: malt-forward beers (amber ales, brown ales) complement meat-heavy pizzas; hoppy, bitter beers (IPAs, pale ales) cut through fatty cheeses; sour beers (Berliner Weisse, gueuze) pair well with acidic tomato-forward preparations and vegetable toppings.

Several craft pizzerias have formalized beer menus curated specifically around their pizza styles, with staff trained to recommend specific beers for specific pies — a level of integration between pizza and beer that was essentially nonexistent five years ago.

Non-Alcoholic Pairing Earns Respect

Perhaps the most culturally significant 2025 development in pizza pairing is the serious treatment of non-alcoholic options. Premium sparkling waters with distinct mineral profiles, craft sodas with genuine flavor complexity, and sophisticated non-alcoholic wines and beers are receiving the same considered pairing attention as their alcoholic counterparts at progressive operators. Pairing menus that treat non-drinkers as equals rather than afterthoughts are appearing at innovative pizzerias and earning genuine appreciation.