Pizza night just got a whole lot better with these perfect matches.

Pizza really is the ultimate meal. From the humble midweek takeaway to the DIY party with choose-your-own toppings, pizza covers every food group and occasion. And without getting into the whole hot-versus-cold leftovers debate, let’s just agree that pizza might even be better the next day. It may not seem like there’s any room for improvement when it comes to this cheesy, doughy, versatile treat, but when paired with the right glass of wine, it can hit some seriously delicious new heights.

It doesn’t matter if you’re topping your own hand-kneaded bases with homemade cheese or tucking into a day-old slice straight out of the box, this is a dish worth celebrating. And for that, we think you need a good friend or two and a great wine to go with it. While you can’t go too wrong pairing your favourite pizza with your go-to wine, we’ve dived deep into the detail and matched nine popular toppings with their most compatible drop. Consider this your handy guide to the best pizza and wine pairings next time the craving strikes.

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1. Margherita pizza and sangiovese

Made with Napoli sauce, mozzarella and basil – legend says to represent the Italian flag – this three-ingredient topping is one of the very best. With so few ingredients, subpar produce has no place here, and that includes the sauce. To tie into this key tomato element, serve your next Margherita with the classic match of sangiovese. Both the sauce and wine have great acidity that works together nicely, and sangiovese is also known for its savoury, herbal notes, which suit well here, too. The Tar & Roses Sangiovese from Victoria is an excellent fit, with its sour cherry flavours bringing out the best in these quality ingredients.

2. Hawaiian pizza and riesling

Think it’s wrong to put pineapple on pizza? The only thing wrong about it is putting this as a discussion topic on your dating profile. Maybe it’s been a while between slices of Hawaiian because plenty of people (over the age of 10) believe ham and pineapple is an elite topping. Bringing together sweet and salty in a very moreish way, the Hawaiian pizza keeps things easy – and cheesy. Its perfect match? Pair it with a riesling – specifically the Knappstein Clare Valley Riesling. Ticking all those bright, fresh and vibrant citrus boxes that riesling does so well, a glass of this wine with a Hawaiian pizza will cut through the cheese and balance the pineapple’s sweetness beautifully.

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3. Prosciutto pizza and Champagne

You might like prosciutto baked on top of the pizza or maybe you prefer it added fresh onto a just-cooked base, but, either way, this is one tasty topping. With its tomato sauce and cheese foundation, prosciutto and fresh rocket typically finish this pizza, with salty-sweet notes from the cured meat and a peppery bite from those leaves. We’re going big and pairing this pizza with Champagne (because high-low pairings are the best). Fresh, crisp and dry bubbles are called for here – namely, the Lanson Le Black Création 258 Champagne Brut. This fizz will cleanse the palate between bites and make this meal feel super special and indulgent.

4. Capricciosa pizza and chardonnay

When you’re mixing tomato sauce and mozzarella with ham, mushrooms, olives and marinated artichokes, you need a certain kind of wine to stand up to those punchy flavours. Salty, sharp, oily and briny, this pizza is screaming for a chardonnay to go with it. The Chapel Hill The Parson Chardonnay is all about fruit purity while striking that fine balance of complexity, good mouthfeel and length; all things that will treat your capricciosa right. Plus, this is also an affordable wine, so be sure to throw in a garlic bread to your order, which just so happens to be another great match for chardy.

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5. Seafood pizza and rosé

Look, we don’t really know who’s ordering seafood on pizza, but, given this is an authentic Italian topping (AKA frutti di mare) and appears on pizza menus everywhere, there’s obviously a lot of fans out there. Topped with the likes of prawns, mussels, calamari and clams, these ingredients usually sit on a base of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Chilli doesn’t go astray, either. This all points in one clear direction: rosé. Pale and pretty, dry rosés are perfect with seafood (and tomato and chilli), so BYO a bottle of the Gerard Bertrand Source de Junon Rosé and you’re in for a very good time.

6. Hot salami pizza and Chianti

Spicy cured meats are right at home on pizza, and some can deliver a serious kick. If that’s the only kind of pizza for you – maybe with extra chilli on top – then a traditional Italian Chianti could be just the wine to serve with it. Made from sangiovese, medium-bodied Chianti is famously food-friendly, and that includes spice. This red wine commonly shows red fruit, herbal and savoury flavours, and sometimes even a touch of spice, which goes well with this pizza’s chilli hit. The soft and fruit-forward Frescobaldi Castiglioni Chianti is a winning match.

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7. Vegetarian pizza and tempranillo

Depending on where you go for pizza, or how you make it at home, vegetarian toppings can often resemble a crowded vego antipasto platter. You might even find pumpkin in there, but it’s generally a whole lot of marinated vegetables, with feta cheese also sometimes making an appearance. With so many different ingredients, you need a wine to work with the whole lot, and that makes it a good time to reach for tempranillo. Originally from Spain – and a brilliant pick for tapas-inspired dining – tempranillo knows how to slot right in with all sorts of flavours. With its fresh acidity, the elegant Artelan Rioja Tempranillo more than meets this brief.

8. Funghi pizza and gamay

Forget the truffle oil – fresh funghi should do all the talking on this pizza. Earthy, sometimes nutty and almost meaty mushrooms bring savoury goodness to this one, while various types of mushies and fresh thyme are what elevates it even further to greatness. All of that makes this pizza an ideal pairing for a lighter-style red. Similar to pinot noir, gamay often has earthy notes, which match that mushroomy umami, and, being a lighter wine, it won’t get in the way of the subtle flavours. The Francois Martenot Gamay is an approachable style with sour cherry and red fruit flavours that will work a treat alongside your next funghi pizza.

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9. The works pizza (AKA the lot) and grenache

Simplicity may be the calling card of traditional Italian pizza, but, for some, more is more. With all sorts of mixed meats, veggies and other ingredients on a pizza with the lot, this is not for the faint hearted. Strong flavours are in the mix here – think olives and anchovies next to ham and salami – so this pizza needs a wine to roll with all of it. Enter grenache – one of the great all-rounders. The Thistledown Gorgeous Old Vine Small Batch Handmade Grenache is a lively, soft and red-fruited wine that also has a subtle spice, which will stand up to this flavour-bomb of a pizza.