The Culture Of Cannabis-Infused Wine: New Trend

The wine industry is expanding horizons by infusing the wines with herbs and other flavors. In the beginning, the process was limited to the use of other alcohols, honey, mint, etc. to infuse the wine with. However, the vintners in California are now working hard to revive the cannabis-infused wines in the US for connoisseurs.

Yes, with the legalization of recreational marijuana in the Golden State of the US, California is using its favorable climatic conditions to invest in the production of both – wines and cannabis. Finally, they are combining the two for the recreational and medical use of individuals.

Here are some pointers you need to know about cannabis-infused wine.

The Advent and Use of Cannabis-Infused Wines

Cannabis enthusiasts have been adding some of it to their alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for ages now. Believe it or not, the combination was used as general anesthesia in 400 BC. Then again, it has never been so popular a trend in the US than now because, nowadays, all these individuals seem to be talking about is cannabis-infused wine.

Archeologists and historians have discovered evidence of the use of cannabis in wines in ancient times as well. The Earnest Han Dynasty's surgeon Hua Tuo used the combination of cannabis and alcohol for performing surgeries too. Marijuana has been a medicinal herb for almost 50 centuries now.

Apart from surgeons and medical practitioners of those times, even the priests and other religious leaders used weed wine to perform ceremonies. It was said to ease the pain of the revelers as they went into a trance.

Mostly, the people who want to experience the high of cannabis but refrain from alcoholic beverages such as beer or whiskey opt for its less-alcoholic counterpart – wines. The high-end circles mix the weed and wine to create a sophisticated concoction that any connoisseur would admire.

Moreover, the combination of weed and wine is not only limited to uptown soirees but has also made its way to the tastings where individuals are offered weed flowers to smell along with the wine. Or, how about a tour to the most lavish vineyards and wineries with an off-route trip to the nearest cannabis grow site?

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Read Also: What Is Cannabis: All About Its Compounds And Effects

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Wine and Weed: The Legalities Involved

The Cannabis culture in California is flourishing after the substance has been legalized in the state for recreational purposes. Now, the apt climatic conditions of the land can be used to grow and process high-quality marijuana. Then again, Prop 64 leaves the future of weed-infused wine and beer in a haze since the law forbids the hosts of parties and bar owners to serve alcohol and weed together to any gathering or individual. All products are regulated by the authorities to ensure that both these substances are not sold in the same packaging.

The strict legalization against cannabis-infused alcohol has shifted the focus of the industry towards the marriage of cannabis and wine.

Why Is Cannabis-Infused Alcohol Illegal?

Well, the reasons behind authorities putting the licenses of alcohol traders at risk for dealing in cannabis is the severe reaction both can cause when consumed together.

• Since the combination was used by ancient physicians as anesthesia, it is quite evident that it can make an individual's nerves go numb. And, sedation and disorientation would be some forms too extreme for recreation.
• Furthermore, an accidental overdose of alcohol along with cannabis can even aggravate the chances of death besides a guaranteed impairment in coordination.
• The situation can be dire if individuals attempt to drive after having consumed both the substances together since cannabis here increases the level of disorientation.

The above situations might not occur if the individuals consume cannabis alone since they are relatively safer and do not cause extreme disorientation due to overconsumption.

Studies conducted by well-renowned scientists have confirmed that alcohol promotes the rate of absorption of THC in individuals, leading to increased euphoric effects.

Then again, people are privately indulged in consuming the combination of the two. Well, this is their personal call since the authorities can only control the events and bars so that people do not have to drive back home after having consumed the combination.

Cannabis-Infused Wine Recipes You Can Try at Home

If you are planning to create your own weed wine mix at home, you should remember that since white wine doesn't have a strong flavor of its own, it serves perfectly as a base for infusion.

Marijuana Wine Ingredients

• Approximately 4 ounces or half a pound of weed stem. Make sure that you use more of the leaves and discard the seeds since they will not only make your wine taste bad, but they also do not contribute to its THC level
• Citrus fruits, preferably a couple of oranges and a lemon
• White of refined sugar weighing 3 pounds
• Fresh active yeast

Equipment

• Two capped one-gallon jugs along
• A bundle of smaller bottles
• Plastic tubing, preferably 3 foot long
• Discarded nylon stockings

Cannabis Wine Method of Preparation

1. Take the caps off the gallon jugs and stuff the leaves in them. The more leaves you use, the better will be the rate of infusion.
2. Pour in the juices of lemon and oranges into the jugs along with the wine.
3. Now, boil two to three-quarters of water in a vessel. Ensure that you do not use an aluminum vessel.
4. Pour all the sugar into the vessel and stir till it is completely dissolved in water.
5. Once you have prepared the sugar and water concoction, you can add it into the jug with weed and juice in it. Then tighten the cap on its lid and shake the mixture through.
6. When the mixture is well-shaken, loosen the cap a little and let it cool down for a while till it reaches room temperature.
7. Put some more water on the heat to dissolve yeast into it. You need luke-warm water this time, so do not let it boil. Since you are trying to dissolve an entire cake of yeast into the water, give it a while and stir patiently.
8. Check the first jug to see if it has cooled down properly. Only after it has reached room temperature, pour the dissolved yeast into the jug. Again, cover the lid tightly with the cap and shake well.
9. Remove the cap and pour some cold water into the jug leaving a few inches empty to facilitate the fermentation procedure. Put the cap back on loosely.

10. Find a dark and confined space, like the back of your closet to place your preparation. Place some newspapers on the spot before you place the jug. The process of fermentation will begin in a couple of hours.
11. If the mixture overflows, you can replace the newspaper with fresh ones. Remember not to add more cold water to it for the initial few days. You can accelerate the process by using a wooden spoon to push the cannabis leaves to the base of the gallon jug. However, do not forget to put the cap back on loosely every time you open it.
12. You can add more water to the concoction when the fermentation calms down. It will take a couple of weeks, approximately. The aim here is to keep the gallon jug topped up till the rim with water. Also, keep pushing the leaves to the bottom.
13. Overall, it will take four weeks to ferment to get prepared. Still, you can tip the jug back and forth a little to check whether there are bubbles in the leaves or not. If there are none, your wine is ready. However, make sure that you only tip the mix and not shake it.

How to Bottle and Age Your DIY Weed Wine?

Transferring the wine from a gallon jug to smaller bottles can be tricky business. Therefore, when you are ready to bottle your wine, take the equipment to a sink and slowly start siphoning the jugs content into another. When you begin the process, be careful not to disturb the sediment at the bottom of the jug. You can use the plastic tube for the process of siphoning by sucking some air out of the tube for starting the flow of the liquid. Also, you can cover the end of the tube with the nylon stocking so that no bits of sediment reach the second jug.

When the contents are in the new jug, dispose of the first one in a plastic packet. The new jug might still be hazy and, hence, it needs another month in isolation. So, place it in the same location as the first one and wait until the mixture becomes clear.

Now, your wine is aged and ready to be transferred into some clean bottles. Use the same siphoning technique that you did earlier to transfer the wine and cover the bottles with a cap. Tighten the lid on bottles with the help of an electric tape of melted wax.

While you can give the wine a taste now, we would suggest you not to if you do not want to torture your taste buds. Give the bottles another six months in isolation to age and become mellow.

How Can You Obtain Weed Wine?

Well, if you are not a fan of waiting for eight long months before having your glass of weed wine, here is how you can find this elixir readily.

• The state of California does not explicitly forbid its residents from preparing and drinking weed wine privately.
• You can also try out the Canna Wine, which is a European brand, but you are less likely to find that in the US.
• Santa Rosa and the Sonoma Cannabis Company welcomes the enthusiasts who would love to try some cannabis-infused wine and other concoctions.

What Are the Potential Effects of Cannabis-Infused Wine?

Until and unless the THC kicks in, most individuals cannot differentiate between a hibiscus-infused wine and the one with marijuana. It is the matter of how flavored your wine is, and whether it is red or white.

While the red wine is made up of grapes and can give you a severe couch lock when combined with weed, the white wine is on a lighter side and accepts the flavor of the weed better. So, it is quite evident that white weed wine is more pleasurable.

Medicinal Use

Marijuana has long served as a medium for relieving the pain of the patients going under painful treatments such as chemotherapy. It also helps patients in dealing with seizures and muscle spasms. However, one cannot see cannabis as being similar to cannabis-infused wine because of its alcohol content. This is because alcohol might not react with medicinal drugs in the same manner. Therefore, consulting a doctor is always a perk.

Disadvantages

The consumption of weed wine, alcohol, or cannabis is considered a wrong decision for pregnant women, individuals with cardiovascular or psychotic disorders, and the ones who attend AA. Moreover, there is a high risk of accidents and death if someone drives after consuming cannabis-infused wine.

On the other hand, if consumed with complete caution, weed wine can help individuals who do not smoke but need relief from pain and muscle spasms by relaxing their muscles. But if you are not a fan of wine infused with cannabis or have trouble receiving the high from that, you can always add some CBD in the form of powder or oil in wine for consumption.

Conclusion

Just like smoking weed or consuming alcohol, individuals should be mature enough before they are given legal permission to do so. Only the seasoned individuals who have dealt with their fair share of alcohol in life should try cannabis-infused wine. They too, should exercise precaution and limit the consumption to one glass or two. Overconsumption can cause excessive sedation and deteriorate the ability to move and increase euphoria.