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Taste the tropical flavor and health benefits of pineapple wine
Pineapple wine is a perfect drink for those who are looking to try something new and refreshing.
If you have yet to taste the tropical, rejuvenating delight of pineapple wine, let us guide you through all the reasons you should and make a few recommendations of where to start your tasting journey.
In this article, we take you through the A to Z of pineapple wine from taste to health benefits. For you white wine lovers who want just a hint of pineapple, we put together a list of white wines to satisfy a tropical craving.
Pineapple wine alcohol content and food pairings
ABV (alcohol by volume) is the universal means of measuring alcohol content in liquids. ABV tells us how much ethanol there is per volume of the drink﹘more specifically: % of pure alcohol present in 100 milliliters of beverage.
The more you know about wine, the better! The ABV helps you determine what food pairs best with your wine.
For example if your beverage is 16% ABV or higher then try pairing it with high-fat and protein foods to help cut through the rich flavors of the dish. Lower alcohol wines pair well with spicy foods and lighter meals.
The alcohol content in wine is typically classified in 5 ABV categories:
- Low: Below 10% ABV like a semi-sparkling Roscato wine.
- Medium low: 10-11.5% ABV like the Portuguese Mapreco Vinho Verde Rose.
- Medium: 11.5-13.5% ABV like the Australian Henschke Croft Chardonnay.
- Medium high: 13.5-15% ABV like California’s Shafer Relentless Syrah.
- High: Over 15% ABV like a daring Amarone wine from Italy or other bold Italian reds.
Like most fruit wines, pineapple wine tends toward the lower end of ABV; however, some winemakers add sugar and extend the fermentation process, raising the alcohol content of pineapple wine.
The lower ABV makes pineapple wine a refreshing beverage to drink on its own – no food necessary. But if you would like to serve it along with a favorite dish, try these pairings:
- Many ham and pork recipes, such as baked ham with pineapple or an Instant Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Pork. My personal favorite pairing is pineapple wine with Hawaiian Pizza.
- Match the refreshing tastes of pineapple wine with a flavorful pineapple chicken salad.
Pineapple wine is a great choice with Thai food and other spicy Asian recipes, including Szechuan noodles.
How long does pineapple wine last?
How long pineapple wine stays drinkable is a matter of how it was produced.
The pineapple wine you make at home is not likely to have a long shelf life and is meant to be consumed soon after it is made. It can be drinkable in as little as two weeks and in some cases it can age up to 6 months in the bottle.
Again, it depends on the production process. But don’t think of pineapple wine as a fine grape wine that ages for years. Even pineapple wine produced at wineries needs to be enjoyed soon after bottling.
Maui Wine says their pineapple wine should be enjoyed “young and fresh.”
Pineapple wine benefits
Pineapple wine is a delicious and refreshing beverage that you can serve at any type of party. But it’s also an excellent choice for those who are looking to drink healthier.
Pineapple wine contains many antioxidants, such as vitamin C and vitamin B6 that help the body fight free radicals. It also has minerals like potassium and magnesium, which can both improve cardiovascular health.
According to studies, the health benefits of pineapple survive the fermentation process and some may be even more concentrated. So, you can be assured that drinking pineapple wine delivers a nutritional wallop!
In a nutshell, pineapple wine benefits include:
- Lots of vitamins like A, B-complex, C, E, K
- An impressive list of minerals, including potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium
- Loads of healthy antioxidants
- The enzyme bromelain aids in digestion and reduces inflammation, which can help prevent certain cancers.
Pineapple wine is a sustainable agricultural practice
Beyond health benefits, the production of pineapple wine provides eco-friendly and sustainable advantages to local economies.
As the worldwide demand for pineapple increases, production also increases. Pineapple crops expand as demand grows, but there are sizable surpluses of the tropical fruit, which typically go to waste because ripe pineapple doesn’t stay good for long.
In some places, 30% to 40% of the crop goes to waste. Across the world, scientists, farmers, and vintners have a solution to the pineapple crop surpluses. Pineapple wine to the rescue!
“Wine making from excess fruits gives additional revenue to farmers and economic upliftment of the farmers and also generates employment opportunities in wine and allied industries,” according to scholarly research published in the International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts.
However, it’s not a practice that has caught on everywhere.
For example, India ranks 77th in the world for wine consumption (mostly grape wines and they prefer red) but food waste from fruit crops runs high at around 30%.
We think the head of an Indian non-governmental food organization has a solution that should work worldwide.
In writing for Nuffoods Spectrum magazine, Nilesh Lele, director of the Sawarde Valley Food Foundation, an NGO in India, suggests that fruit wine cannot be marketed as a competitor to grape wines. He says that’s a no-win situation.
Instead, he says the key is to market to the strength of the product. For fruit wines, that means focusing on three key areas:
- Focus on nutritional benefits. Fruit wines are incredibly nutritious and come with a long list of health benefits.
- Eco-friendly and farmer-friendly practices. Unlike grapes, other fruits are native to India and grown on a large scale. Making wine from these indigenous fruits reduces food waste.
- Expanding exports. It’s difficult for India to compete in the grape wine market, but competing with fruit wines that are uniquely Indian has its advantages for the export market.
These fruit wines are very flavorful and tasty. Slowly and steadily more and more fruit wineries are coming up across the country, and with a conducive excise policy, fruit wines can play a big role in reducing post-harvest losses, creation of jobs, and increase in exports.
Mr. Lele in “Fruit wines production can help tackle food wastage” – Nuffoods Spectrum
Best pineapple wine
When I polled friends and colleagues about their thoughts on pineapple wine, I found that the majority of them had never heard of it. But they were fascinated with trying it.
Fruit wine in general has been looked over in favor of grape wines, which of course have a long history and billions of dollars of marketing behind them. Fruit wines typically were reserved for local areas as more of a whimsical drink.
Today, fruit wines are trending upward. You’re going to see and hear a lot more about them.
Pineapple wine goes well with dishes that often aren’t paired with wine, including spicy cuisines, tropical fare such as Jamaican, and fruit recipes.
Look for pineapple wine and other fruit wines in your area. You can also try one of these two popular pineapple wines. If you can’t find a bottle at your local store, all of these wineries will ship to you!
1) Maui Pineapple wine
Maui Wine has perfected the craft of making pineapple wine. How much more authentic can you get then tasting the tropical flavors of Hawaii?
Maui Wine gives you three choices for pineapple wine:
- Off-dry Maui Blanc
- Sweet Maui Splash
- Sparkling Hula o Maui
2) Florida Sunset Pineapple wine
The Florida Orange Grove Winery produces fruit wines that are 100% made of the fruit, not blended with grapes. As a Florida producer of berry, citrus, and tropical wines, they have a few special designations.
- The only Florida wines to carry the Florida Sunshine Tree logo, the official mark given by the Florida Department of Citrus to designate superior quality.
- The only Florida wine allowed at the Disney Epcot International Food and Wine festival.
Have a bottle of Florida Sunset Pineapple wine shipped directly to your door. They ship by FedEx and delivery will require a signature.
White wines with pineapple notes
The perfect end to your day is just ahead! There is nothing like the taste of sweet, juicy pineapple to brighten up your day.
Imagine yourself sipping on a glass of your favorite white wine while savoring the tantalizing flavors and delicate nuances that only pure, fresh fruit can provide. If you want to take this experience one step further by adding in some tropical pineapple flair, we have four recommendations just waiting for your approval!
Riesling wine
Our first two recommendations are Riesling wines.
Riesling is a versatile wine that is easy to pair with many food types, even Thai food and other spicy dishes that are difficult to pair with wine.
Rieslings are often fermented in steel barrels that help avoid being over-oaked, which can dull the fruity aromatics of this white wine.
Typically, rieslings have a very sweet, fruity smell and taste with flavors of pear, apples, peaches, tropical fruits (such as pineapple), flowers such as roses or violets, and even tea leaves – so Riesling is perfect for a wine tasting party with gouda cheese!
In the United States, vineyards that produce some of the finest Rieslings are found in the Greater Lakes wine region, which includes Finger Lakes, the Columbia River Basin, winding from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon, and coastal valleys in California, according to John Haeger in his book Riesling Rediscovered: Bold, Bright, and Dry.
Rieslings can be found all over the world, but we’ve focused our search on wines with a tropical flair in three main areas: Pacific Northwest, California, and the birthplace of the grape varietal, Germany.
The Riesling grape, which can be found all over the world, grows best in cooler climates. That brings us to our first recommendation from Washington state, America’s largest production area for Riesling wines.
1 – Pacific Rim Sweet Riesling 2020
The first bottle of Pacific Rim Riesling was released in 1992 by Bonny Doon Vineyard in California. Fourteen years later, the wine was so popular that the vintners made a decision to create a Reisling-dedicated winery in Washington. Under the direction of Randall Grahm, they were going to create the best Riesling in America using sustainable agricultural practices.
In 2011, the winery was purchased by the Mariani family of Long Island, New York, who pledged their commitment to the winery’s approach to making Riesling. They kept French-born winemaker Nicolas Quill and other team members in place. Like the founders, the Mariani family is obsessed with making the best Rieslings.
“No other varietal can be crafted to express so many different and wondrous characteristics,” according to the Pacific Rim website. They even wrote one of the (if not most) comprehensive fact books about Rieslings!
You can learn about everything from how James Bond liked his Riesling wine to soil and climate types.
But maybe you’ll want to start with sampling your own bottle of Pacific Rim Riesling, like this 2020 vintage. It goes so well with Thai food and pork roast – or almost any dish you can imagine!
Continue to delight your senses with an aerial tour of one of the Pacific Rim vineyards in the video below. The views are breathtaking!
2 – Donnhoff Hollenpfad im Muhlenberg Riesling Trocken Grosses Gewachs 2020
German Rieslings are known for their fruit-forward notes and clean, crisp taste. Rieslings are referred to as a transparent wine – and not for their beautiful yellow tones. A Riesling wine doesn’t stand in the way of its terroir, allowing for a perfect expression of fruits, florals, and minerals.
For centuries, the Dönnhoff name has been synonymous with outstanding German wine. The Dönnhoffs never fail to train the next generation to keep wine making a family affair.
The 2020 Höllenpfad Im Mühlenberg Grosses Gewachs opens with bright notes of herbs, berries, and a hint of pineapple. This dry Riesling with a high ABV pairs well with a meat-heavy charcuterie board or spicy foods. Of course, it also goes well with the more traditional pork or chicken dishes.
Sparkling wine
3 – Stella Rosa Pineapple semi-sparkling wine
The legendary Riboli family of the historic San Antonio Winery that originated in the early 1900s in Los Angeles, are the geniuses behind the refreshing, semi-sparkling line of Stella Rosa wines.
Although not strictly a pineapple wine, the Stella Rosa Pineapple is a blend of proprietary white grapes grown in vineyards in the Asti region of Piedmont, Italy.
Chardonnay
4 – Fess Parker Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2020
Moving south to California’s Central Coast brings us to the Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, established in 1989 in the Santa Barbara viticulture region.
The late actor Fess Parker, who founded the wine empire, holds a special place in my childhood memories. He played Daniel Boone in the NBC TV series that ran from 1964 to the 1970s. In the 1950s, he played Davy Crockett.
The Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard is in its 3rd generation of family members, who continue to elevate the Santa Barbara wine region as well as their own holdings.
Enjoy a bottle of Fess Parker Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2020 at home or while staying at the luxurious Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa.
The refreshing Chardonnay can be enjoyed with lighter fare, but the alcohol content is high enough to enjoy with richer foods like a delectable Beef Wellington.
Final thoughts on pineapple wine
Now that you know about all the tropical, sunny goodness of pineapple wine, we hope you’ll give it a try.
Our top reasons to try pineapple wine:
- You are supporting sustainable agriculture practices by drinking wine that helps reduce food waste. As my grandmother always said, “Waste not, want not.”
- Pineapple wine goes with a large variety of foods, including hard-to-pair foods, like spicy Thai dishes.
- A refreshing glass of pineapple wine will transport your senses. It’s like a vacation in a bottle!
Let us know which wines you tried in the comments below. We might even add your wine tasting comments to the article – with your permission, of course!
