Wine and Plant-Based Pizza: The Perfect Pairings
There’s nothing more comforting than a stay-at-home date featuring good pizza, good wine, and great company. While Virtuous Pie serves as the evening’s main event, the question remains: which wine pairs best with your pizza of choice?
To help answer this, we spoke with Mark Wachtin from Storied Wine & Spirits. Mark shared his expert tips on pairing wines with Virtuous Pie’s unique plant-based flavors, ensuring your next pizza night is as perfectly paired as it is delicious.
Storied Wine & Spirits: A Focus on Local and Sustainable
Mark and his team specialize in highly focused BC wines, ciders, and spirits, with a mission to connect people to the stories behind their producers.
“There’s nothing more enjoyable than introducing sommeliers, chefs, and the public to local, healthier, and more sustainably-grown products,” Mark explains. “We also love hosting events, training hospitality professionals, and pairing our products with incredible restaurants like Virtuous Pie.”
Wine Pairing Basics
When it comes to wine pairing, Mark starts with a few key principles:
Colour and Weight: Match the wine’s body and texture to the dish.
Acidity and Sweetness: Balance the wine’s acidity, alcohol, and natural sugars with the flavors of the food.
Flexibility: Sometimes the perfect pairing cleanses the palate, but even the best pairings can involve trial and error—don’t be afraid to experiment.
On Vancouver Island, the local cool climate produces wines that are lighter in colour and weight, fresh and bright in style, with higher acidity and lower alcohol. These characteristics often make BC wines an ideal match for Virtuous Pie’s plant-based offerings.
Pairing Wine with Virtuous Pie’s Unique Flavours
Mark highlights a foolproof rule for pairing wine with plant-based foods: “If you’re ever unsure, go with a glass of local sparkling wine. The bubbles and acidity act as natural palate cleansers and make pretty much everything taste good!”
But for a deeper dive, Mark offers specific recommendations based on the plant-based cheeses featured on Virtuous Pie pizzas:
Tofu Feta
Brined and salty, Tofu Feta pairs beautifully with a Sparkling Rosé or a lighter Piquette Sparkling from Bella in Naramata. The bright acidity and delicate bubbles complement the cheese’s salty, tangy profile.
Tofu Cheddar
For this bean-based cheese, Mark suggests a light to medium red wine or a richer white:
2021 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Anthony Buchanan in Kaleden, BC. Its notes of baked bread, ripe apple, and pear enhance the flavors of Tofu Cheddar.
2021 Unoaked BC Gamay Noir from Desert Hills. This lighter red features earthy blueberry and white pepper notes, with soft tannins that pair perfectly with the dough and cheddar-like flavors.
Cashew Mozzarella
The creamy nuttiness of Cashew Mozzarella calls for a Pinot Noir:
2021 Estate Pinot Noir from Emandare Vineyards in North Cowichan offers darker berry flavors, a light to medium body, and fresh acidity that beautifully balances the rich, nutty notes of the cheese.
Enhance Your Pizza Night
Whether you’re enjoying a quiet evening at home or hosting a plant-based dinner party, pairing your Virtuous Pie pizza with the perfect wine elevates the experience. With Mark’s expert recommendations, you can explore local BC wines that bring out the best in every bite.
So grab your favorite Virtuous Pie pizza, uncork a bottle, and discover just how delicious wine and pizza can be together. Cheers! 🍕🍷
Have a favorite wine pairing with Virtuous Pie? Share your creations and tag us on Instagram @virtuous_pie!
