Cannabis Wine

Since legalization, cannabis has been exponentially growing in popularity and people are really starting to get creative! It’s no surprise that as more is becoming known about the many benefits of this natural medication more people are experimenting with infusing just about everything with marijuana. In a previous article, I shared how to create and enjoy “green” cocktails but now I am coming to you with something new and inventive in the world of cannabis drinks - cannabis wine. Also cleverly referred to as canna-vin, it’s popping up in every wine region that has legalized this magical, green herb.

What Is Weed Wine?

Weed wine is exactly what it sounds like - wine infused with a THC, or/and CBD emulsion. If it sold commercially it is almost 100% guaranteed to have had the alcohol removed. It looks like a normal bottle of wine but of course, the taste does not stand up to the real thing. After the de-alcoholization process, they have to reintroduce flavour and texture with additives to help create something that resembles a tasty glass of vino. Something that helps with this is the thought that goes into pairing the grapes with the terpenes in cannabis. Lighter, white wines will usually have citrusy sativa while heavier reds will have more skunky indicas. This canna-vin may seem like a new fad but humans have historically been known to have started making and drinking it since ancient Rome.

“Cannabis-infused wine has been around for thousands of years, it's one of the original marijuana products … [It's] less of a trend and more of a resurgence [now that the] regulations and industry have matured enough for people to bother doing it again.”

-Cynthia Salarizadeh, founder and president of House of Saka

Cannabis Wine

How Is It Made?

As with most things, there is more than one right way to infuse wine with cannabis. You can make it as easily as a “special” tea at home but wineries have found some new technologies to help with the wine’s integrity.

Infusion: This is the easiest method and is known to be more traditional or homestyle. This method is pretty basic, just dump a bunch of marijuana into the wine vat while it’s fermenting and, voila! While it is fermenting the alcohol pulls the THC into the wine.

Emulsion: This is a new process that is quickly taking the forefront in canna-vin production. These are oil-based water-soluble solutions that mix well into other liquids and extracts without losing all of the natural terpenes. This has been perfected by removing the unwanted flavours and off-putting aromas with an aroma-less and colourless emulsion. This process has been so revolutionary because it captures “the pure essence” of the wine leaving it with a taste closer to the original product. 

Nano-Emulsion: Similar to an emulsion but perfected in labs in tiny droplets so that the cannabis-rich substances don’t separate. They are created by breaking the oil droplets into billions of tinier droplets using energy. Nanogen’s CEO, Ben Larson, claims that they have essentially redefined the relationship between oil and water.

“The [cannabis] formulation really matters because if producers get it wrong, the wine becomes unstable” and—poof—you have a lava lamp sitting on the shelf.”

-Jamie Evans, Founder of The Herb Somm

Cannabis Wine

How To Make Your Own Cannabis-Infused Wine At Home

Buying wine, especially infused with this special green ingredient, can get very expensive. Some companies feel confident selling their creations at 100$ a bottle. Don’t stress though, it’s possible to make it at home. The main difference is that without a way to dealcoholize your concoction like they would when sold commercially so don’t go overboard. I can never state enough “start low and go slow”.

To Start: Have everything you need to start making your very own cannabis wine. You will

need:

  1. Cheesecloth
  2. Grinder
  3. Large bowl or pot
  4. Pan
  5. Foil
  6. Wine of your choice
  7. Cannabis of choice

This is the easiest way of infusing as I’m assuming not everyone has enough time to make their own wine from the grape. Make sure you choose your strain of cannabis depending on what wine you will be infusing the marijuana into. Look into the terpenes and the flavour profile they will lend to the existing wine. Choose a nice, bold indica to go with your heavy reds or something bright and citrusy for a lighter white.

Activating the THC: If you just dump an un-altered bag of marijuana into your wine it will be rather disappointing. It won’t taste great and you will not get any of the effects that you’re searching for. To activate you need to heat them up and get the THC flowing.  You will start by lining your pan with the tinfoil and pre-heating your oven to 230 degrees. Crush the buds up and toss them in the oven for 10-20 minutes. When it is done it should look less green and drier. Keep in mind that the smell of the roasting buds will definitely make your home “aromatic”.

Steep: Let the weed cool completely before adding it to your wine. Now that it has cooled down we are going to grind up the dried herb either with a grinder or a mortar and pestle. Place this ground-up weed into your cheesecloth and make what are essentially tea bags to add to the wine. Cover everything with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for 1-2 days.

 Enjoy! Now that it is chilled and infused just take the tea bags out and toss them away. If there is extra residue strain with more cheesecloth. Enjoy your cannabis creation! Whether you decide to try and make your own weed wine or treat yourself to something more curated, relax and enjoy!