Ohio Battles for Pizza Title

Who says New York and Chicago should reign supreme in the pizza world? As part of its 125th anniversary Bolla Wines, “The Official Wine of Pizza” is inviting all Ohioans to battle it out in the Taste of Your Town Pizza Battle. To take part in the battle consumers must submit a pizza recipe that best reflects Ohio – whether it incorporates locally-produced ingredients or the state’s signature dish (think of a pizza with a chili-based sauce and fried catfish for toppings). And, because wine and pizza is the perfect pair, entries will need to include a Bolla varietal to go with the submitted recipe.

Participants have from February 1 to August 31, 2008, to submit recipes for their region. Competing regions include: Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Far West. Regional winners will receive a pizza oven and other Bolla prizes. The Grand Prize winner will win bragging rights for his or her region and a trip to Europe to visit Bolla’s winery in Verona, Italy, and attend the 2009 World Pizza Championships.

“At Bolla we use the best of Italy’s wine regions to create different varietals - the Tuscan soil rich in marine fossils is perfect for our Chianti, where the warm climate of Romagna makes an excellent Sangiovese, ” said Don Freytag, brand director for Bolla Wines. “We believe this same line of thinking can be applied to cooking.”

To enter a recipe and wine pairing, pizza lovers 21 years of age and older can log on to www.bolla.com/taste. Contestants are encouraged to use local ingredients in the crust, sauce and topping. Entries will be judged on creativity, taste, and their ability to pair well with a Bolla varietal. The best of each region will be announced at the end of September and the grand prize winner will be decided via an online vote in October, National Pizza Month. Full details are available at www.bolla.com/taste.

Some tips and suggestions for the ultimate Ohio pizza:
· Tomato juice is the state drink of Ohio. In the 1800s, Ohio was one of the first states to grow tomatoes commercially (previously, many people had feared tomatoes were poisonous).
· Channel catfish are a popular game fish and food in Ohio. Every year thousands are supplied for the State Fair.
· Home to the popular chain Skyline Chili, Cincinnati, Ohio, has been called the Chili Capital of the U.S.

About Bolla
Bolla, the “Official Wine of Pizza” and a sponsor of the U.S. Pizza Team was introduced in the U.S. after GI’s returned from World War II, the same time pizza went mainstream.
Bolla’s roots lay in the hillside of the acclaimed Veneto region in Northern Italy where Abele Bolla started handcrafting his wines at his small winery in 1883. Today, Bolla’s winemakers hand harvest grapes from five regions in Italy: Veneto, Lombardia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Tuscany and Romagna.