Have you ever tasted a glass of wine and thought, hmm that tastes like coconut? It isn’t as weird as you might think! In this Wine Terms Explained, we dive into what tasting coconut in wine is, and where to find it.
It might seem a little odd to be able to be tasting coconut in wine, but it is one of those aromas that you can definitely find in some wines. And no, it doesn’t mean that the winemaker chucked some coconut flakes in there to make a pina colada!
What makes wine taste like coconut?
Coconut generally is found on the nose and is a sort of dull sweetness, unlike something like fruit or honey. It is more aromatic than a flavour, similar to almond, coffee and chocolate in wine. This flavour is the sort of thing that you find in coconut milk (Pina Coladas), coconut oil or even desiccated coconut you find in a Bounty bar or on a lamington!
Coconut is classified as a tertiary aroma, which means it is something that comes from the ageing process (find out more about oak influence in this guide). Coconut is distinct to wines aged in oak barrels.
If we were to get into the science of it, the coconut comes from esters aka chemical compounds. The aroma of coconut is derived from lactones in the wine which are often associated with coconuts.
So if tasting coconut in wine comes from oak barrels and ageing, will you find it in all oaked wines? Although coconut comes from contact with wood chips, staves or barrels, not all wood will create a coconut aroma. Enter American Oak.
American Oak is known for giving strong flavours of vanilla and amongst other things, coconut to wines. So if you love tasting coconut in wines, like my partner does (he is actually obsessed with American oak it is a problem), look out for wines that use this oak in their ageing process.
Where you’ll find coconut in wine
You’d think it would be simple finding wines that have some coconut in them. Just look for American Oak right? Well in Australia it can be quite hard to find wines that use American Oak – we usually use French. So it’s worth asking the winemaker on a tour if they do use some American Oak. I know my partner does all the time!
If you’re looking for specific wines, try searching for:
- Californian wines which often have oak influence
- Red Riojas that have been aged (Reserva and Gran Reserva)
- Some of the big bold Australian reds will also have oak influence
Otherwise, it is a bit of a gamble. But totally worth it if you like wines that have a heavy vanilla oak influence.
So is coconut good?
As with most wine tasting terms, it all comes down to personal preference. If you like wines to have coconut aromas often paired with heavy flavours of vanilla, you’ll like tasting coconut in your wine. But if you don’t really like oak influence, or hate coconut (Gasp!), maybe steer clear of American Oak.