Want to Pair Wine With Pizza? The Francis Ford Coppola Winery Tipline Is Here to Help

You don’t need access to a sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant to have fun with wine pairings. Everything from Cheetos to ice cream can benefit from a complementary glass of vino. Pizza is an obvious match, and one famed California winery is here to help you elevate your casual takeout dinner to a five-star experience. 

As Food & Wine reports, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Sonoma County is rolling out a live text tipline to cater to pizza connoisseurs’ wine-pairing needs. From July through August between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST, anyone can text 601-706-WINE (9463) to use the service. Their experts will want to know what type of pie is on the menu and what the toppings will be. They may recommend such pairings as chardonnay for mushroom pizza, prosecco for a thin crust pie with buffalo mozzarella, or claret for a spicy pepperoni square. 

The Coppola Pizza WineLine coincides with the winery’s second-annual Perfect Your Pizza competition. As long as the text line is open, contestants are welcome to submit an original pizza recipe and a wine to pair with it through the contest’s website. Four finalists will be invited to cook their creations in the Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s on-site restaurant for a shot at winning the $25,000 grand prize.

Because it’s run by winemakers, the recommended pairings submitted in the competition will be judged seriously alongside the recipes. If you’re not confident in your wine-pairing abilities, consider sitting out the competition and letting the aficionados on the WineLine plan your menu.