Pizza & Wine: when pairing becomes a matter of style
The female perspective of Antonella Amodio
There was a time when pizza and wine inhabited separate worlds.
Pizza was immediacy.
Wine was rituality.
One spoke the language of informal conviviality, the other that of codified tradition.
Today, that distance is dissolving.
Through the work of Antonella Amodio—journalist, sommelier, and writer originally from Caserta—a cultural change is emerging that concerns not only what we eat and drink, but the very way we define taste in contemporary Italy.
Author of Calici & Spicchi, the first volume entirely dedicated to the art of pairing pizza and wine, Amodio has helped transform this topic from a marginal intuition to a field of reflection for professionals and enthusiasts. The project was then expanded with Calici & Spicchi – Atlante mondiale della pizza e del vino in 100 abbinamenti (Calici & Spicchi – World Atlas of Pizza and Wine in 100 Pairings), taking the dialogue between these two worlds beyond Italy’s borders through international presentations and constant dissemination.
A new language of pairing
At the heart of this evolution is one obvious fact: pizza has changed.
The dough tells a story of identity.
The ingredients speak of provenance.
Spaces are increasingly becoming places of conscious gastronomic experience.
Wine has finally begun to follow suit.
In the most attentive and contemporary pizzerias, wine is no longer a marginal presence. Sparkling wines—thanks to their freshness, acidity, and ability to cleanse the palate—have established themselves as natural companions to modern pizza. Alongside them, rosé wines are gaining ground for their versatility and less formal, more spontaneous character.
In Calici & Spicchi, Amodio observes this transformation with a systematic and international perspective: over 100 pizzerias in Italy and around the world are described through pairings based on structure—dough, ingredients, style.
Not a list of suggestions, but a grammar of pairing.
The territory as a story
One of the strongest aspects of Amodio’s work is his connection to the territory.
In his career—which includes collaborations with food and wine guides, newspaper columns dedicated to the role of the sommelier in pizzerias, and the creation of wine lists—pairing emerges as a tool for cultural enhancement.
Not just technique, but identity.
Emblematic of this is his work with the Zecca di Lucca, for which he selected the limited edition Pallagrello Bianco and Nero di Re Ferdinando IV di Borbone, contributing to the rediscovery of two historic Campania grape varieties. Similarly, the choice of two wines for the celebrations of the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of Naples placed wine in a broader symbolic and celebratory context, alongside the minting of commemorative silver coins.
In this perspective, wine ceases to be a simple accompaniment and becomes a narrative: it tells the story of the place, the culture, the vision.
Beyond the myth of simplicity
A judge in international competitions dedicated to wine, pizza, and gastronomy, and often president of the jury in major competitions, Amodio has made a pioneering contribution to the introduction of specific categories dedicated to pizza-wine pairing.
His work has helped redefine the very perception of pizza.
No longer a poor man’s dish, but one of the great expressions of Italian gastronomy—apparently simple, but requiring technical expertise, attention to raw ingredients, and a coherent vision when it comes to wine.
This is also evidenced by a press review of over 150 articles dedicated to Calici & Spicchi, confirming its impact on the food and wine scene.
In the context of Italian cuisine being recognized as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage in 2025, the dialogue between pizza and wine does not appear to be a fad, but a natural evolution.
“These are not generic suggestions, but methodically constructed pairings that take into account the dough, ingredients, and style of the pizzeria. Alongside sparkling wines, there is also room for rosés, which are increasingly popular due to their versatility and immediate, less formal language, perfect for a more spontaneous and glamorous idea of contemporary pleasure. The result is a wine that is closer to the everyday nature of pizza, made up of understandable, drinkable, and consistent choices, without compromising on quality. The world of pizzerias is changing profoundly: more and more establishments are offering high-quality wine cellars and informed pairings. There are no longer second-rate pizzerias, but places where the quality of pizza and wine grow together; a trend that wineries should also be aware of,” says the author.
A balance between precision and intuition.
A contemporary—and subtly feminine—way of describing taste.
