It’s quite surprising that the practice of infusing cannabis into wine has emerged thousands years ago. The earliest records are from the Han Dynasty in China who used a combination of ganja and grape as an anesthesia before surgery.
Cannabis-infused wine in the USA was developed in California, back in the 80s. The ‘pot wine’ as it was called was something fermented and shared by winemakers at private gatherings.
This quite an expensive liquor was made generally of rose wines, stored in unlabeled bottles, and it became a risky business because of the war on drugs.
Gradually, as laws were changing, marijuana was more accessible so as the cannabis-infused wine.
The wine drinkers in California were more and more able to enjoy this type of wine as well as medical marijuana and cannabis edibles.
The famous activist, rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Melissa Etheridge, was a casual marijuana user until 2004, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After the consequent period of chemotherapy, she turned into an outspoken advocate of medicinal cannabis, developing her unique Expand Your Consciusness range assisted by the Drinks Feed. It was named “No Label” and included Shiraz and Grenache.
How It Is Made
Usually, winemakers infuse cannabis into Syrahs, Cabernets, pinot Noirs, Chardonnays, Viogniers and Grenaches. Because of the different flavors and effects of cannabis strains, hybrid strains are usually used since pure sativas and indicas in relation with alcohol might make consumers either groggy or anxious.
They tend to mix around a pound of cannabis into a wine cask, so the fermentation process combine the THC and wine together. In fact, this mixture is what gives drinkers a unique “high”.
If you are inspired to make some yourself, it’s not that easy as it seems. You won’t achieve the same if you just drop some fresh cannabis into a glass of your favorite Chardonnay because what draws the Tetrahydrocannabinol form the cannabis into the wine is the process of fermentation.
This ganja-grape duo is not yet available across the country, but soon you might be able to give it a try while on vacation in states like Colorado.
Via Drinks Feed
