A new kind of wine buzz

San Diego is experiencing its own reefer madness as the cannabis craze continues to steamroll through the market with a dizzying array of edibles, tinctures, ointments and even cocktails. Next on the menu of ganja goodies? Perhaps not too surprisingly, a cannabis-infused Sauvignon Blanc from Rebel Coast winery has hit the shelves, but is exclusively sold at San Diego’s Torrey Holistics. (Don’t even try online, it’s already sold out.)

The winery, known in California for pushing boundaries, adorns their specialty wine bottles and corks with artistic marijuana leaves. Inside you’ll find THC, but no alcohol.

As it’s illegal to have a product containing both alcohol and THC (alcohol in the U.S. is a federally-regulated substance and marijuana is still outlawed on the national level), Rebel Coast embarked on a trial-and-error journey to discover how to get the alcohol out and the THC in while maintaining the integrity of the wine.

PACIFIC chatted with Ruthie Edelson, Torrey Holistic’s educational and marketing director, to find out more about this unique wine, how much THC one can expect and the ever important question: With no alcohol, will it cause a hangover?

PACIFIC: So first things first, how much THC is in each glass of wine?

RUTHIE EDELSON: About 5 mg; each bottle has 20 mg.

It says “fast acting sativa” on the label. So when do you feel it?

It’s very light and refreshing, it doesn’t come on strong and hit you hard. Within 20 to 25 minutes, I had a happy, relaxed feeling.

Okay, but does it make you high? Do you get the same feeling as marijuana or is the sensation different?

Of course everyone will feel it different, but it doesn’t make you overly high, you can be around people. It’s not overwhelming, it doesn’t create a paranoia feeling; it is a little different.

Trying to imagine the flavor here. What does it taste like?

It tastes fruity and refreshing. When it’s not chilled you get a hint of cannabis. But when it’s chilled, it tasted like a regular glass of wine. Actually, I enjoy it much more, wine makes me sleepy. I had such a fun night of being silly, happy and relaxed, and slept great.

So, no hangover, right?

I woke up the next day feeling fantastic!

What has been the consumer response?

People are loving it and wanting to buy it by the case! They are surprised and love that they are able to try something like this. They are telling their friends and family, and everyone is so curious about it.

Any other interesting items to try while buying a bottle of Rebel Coast?

Lagunitas makes a hoppy sparkling water with 10 mg of THC and another version with 5mg of THC and 5 mg of CBD sourced from the whole plant rather than hemp. They come as one can. We also have medicinal patches, edibles, tinctures, and drinks. We choose all of our products very carefully, and everything is lab tested.

Rebel Coast’s Cannabis-infused Sauvignon Blanc retails for $59.95 at Torrey Holistics. To learn more about Rebel Coast and its speacialty wine, visit definitelynotrebelcoastwinery.com/weed-wine

Torrey Holistics, 10671 Roselle St. #100, Sorrento Valley, 858.558.1420, torreyholistics.com