Learn How You Can Make Cannabis-Infused Wine

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about cannabis wine. Cannabis-infused wine (canna vine, pot wine) is hitting marijuana establishments like a storm. Seems like everyone is talking about the benefits of cannabis wine, with celebrities such as Melissa Etheridge (who has her own cannabis-infused wine label) raving about cannabis wine in the media. If you want to see for yourself what the hype is all about, how does making your own cannabis-infused wine sound? We show you how to do it!

Interestingly, cannabis-infused wine isn’t really something new. People have infused wine with weed since ancient times. Back then in the olden days, it was quite common for wine to be infused with all kinds of herbs and other additives, and of course cannabis was already a favourite for this purpose even then. Mulled wine, wine that is “spiced up” with herbs and other ingredients, is still quite common, especially in Europe.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CANNABIS-INFUSED WINE

There are some things that make pot wine quite interesting when compared to other cannabis consumption methods. The first thing is the taste. Both cannabis and the grapes in wine contain aromatic compounds called terpenes, which give cannabis strains and wine their flavours and aromas. When the terpenes of both come together in canna wine, this makes for a very unique and distinct flavour bouquet unlike any other. So if you want to try something different, cannabis-infused wine can be a nice change for your taste buds!

One other reason why pot wine is now becoming so popular is the effect. The alcohol in wine makes the THC in cannabis have a stronger, yet different effect: “There’s a little flush after the first sip, but then the effect is really cheery, and at the end of the night you sleep really well". That’s how Melissa Etheridge explains the effect of pot-infused wine.

And lastly, cannabis wine can be an alternative for those who don’t like to smoke and are into other consumption methods like edibles. So these folks can replace their hash brownies with some cannabis wine as an alternative. And of course, what could go better with a fancy dinner than some “spiced up” wine?

We talked about the benefits of cannabis-infused wine and the reasons why so many are currently raving about it. Well, it’s time that we get to the interesting bits: how you can make cannabis wine yourself!

HOW TO MAKE CANNABIS-INFUSED WINE

Cannabis wine, especially if you were to get some celebrity branded canna wine from some “boutique dispensary”, won’t be cheap. But you can make it at home and save yourself some nice coin in the process. The good thing here is that wine, or better the alcohol in it, is an excellent extractor for cannabinoids. In other words, wine is just made for being infused with the goodness of weed. Even better, doing it is quite easy.

There are several ways you can infuse wine with cannabis. In the first method, we’re using a DIY “tea bag” for the infusion. For the second method, we’re boiling the wine and the weed to create an extra potent brew. You can try out both methods to see which cannabis wine you like best!

METHOD 1: INFUSING YOUR WINE WITH A “TEA BAG”

In this method, we’re infusing the wine right in the bottle with a pouch made from cheesecloth. This is an easy method to infuse all kinds of wine; it just requires that we decarb our weed beforehand. We'll get to this in a moment.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle of dry red or white wine
• 20–25g of your favourite cannabis strain; buds or trim work

HARDWARE

• A baking sheet for decarboxylating (activating) your cannabis
• Tin foil
• Cheesecloth

DIRECTIONS

1. Before infusing, you need to decarb the weed. This process activates the “good parts” in cannabis that give you the desired effects. To do so, crumble your bud into large pieces and wrap the pieces in tin foil. Now, place the wrapped bud pieces onto the baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 110°C (230°F) for about 45–60 minutes. This is the temperature at which cannabis begins to decarboxylate, converting inactive THCA into THC.
2. After you have baked your weed for a bit, remove it from the oven and open the tin foil instantly, so any residual moisture can evaporate. Use a grinder or pestle to grind up your buds. The finer you grind up your weed, the easier and faster the extraction process will be.
3. Using either a cheesecloth or pantyhose, create a small pouch to put the decarboxylated buds in; twist, and tie into a knot. Put your weed “tea bag” into the bottle of wine; make sure it is complete submerged in the alcohol. Put the cork back in the bottle.
4. Place the wine bottle with your cannabis infuser in your fridge and let it infuse for about a day. The alcohol in the wine will do the rest and extract all the goodness from your weed. As your wine bottle is sitting in the fridge, it is recommended that you agitate it every few hours for a better extraction.
5. When you’re ready to enjoy your cannabis wine, remove the pouch with the weed. If you just remove the bag, your cannabis-infused wine will not be very potent. But if you wring out the bag and squeeze what’s left in it back into the bottle, your wine will be much more potent.
6. You can now pour yourself a nice glass of chilled cannabis wine! Enjoy!

ALTERNATIVE METHOD FOR MAKING CANNABIS WINE

Here is an alternative method that makes for a very good cannabis wine that has a nice “holiday taste” to it thanks to some “Christmas” spices. This one is also very easy to make. Since we’re boiling the weed and the wine, we don’t need to decarb the weed like we do with the first method.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle of red wine
• 28g of trim or shake
• 4 cloves
• 1 orange
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

HARDWARE

• Large saucepan or crock pot
• Sieve or cheesecloth

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour your wine into a large pot and place on the stove.
2. Coarsely grind up your weed and add it to the wine in the saucepan.
3. Add the spices to the mix. The cloves, orange, cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg will add a wonderful holiday taste to the wine, which will enhance the taste of both the wine and the cannabis. The citrus fruit and the vitamin C are thought to work in concert with the other compounds in cannabis and enhance its effect—this is known as the entourage effect.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to roll for about 2 hours with the lid closed, but keep an eye on the brew. Check frequently and make sure that not too much liquid is evaporating.
5. After this time, strain your wine and spice mix using a fine cheesecloth.
6. Serve and enjoy!

The method results in a particularly potent cannabis wine, so keep that in mind before you're chugging away.

HOW TO MAKE CANNABIS-INFUSED WINE—NOTES

Know that the alcohol together with the cannabis can produce a very different effect. So if you are combining the two, it’s always better to play it safe. For some people, the combined effect of can be very enjoyable, while others may possibly find it less pleasant. Listen to your body when you enjoy your cannabis-infused wine, as this will also help you find the optimal dosage for the desired effect!