How to make cannabis wine at home - 2 simple recipes

As cannabis laws around the world continue to change, an ever-growing variety of weed products are coming to market. And given that so many people enjoy the mellow buzz of a glass of wine and a toke, it was only a matter of time before bottles of weed-infused vino appeared on shelves in legal markets.

And while brands like CannaVines, Rebel Coast, and Know Label seem to be innovating the space with weed-infused reds, whites, and rosés, the art of combining wine and cannabis is nothing new.

Weed wine — an ancient elixir

Cannabis is considered one of mankind's oldest cultivars, with archaeological evidence suggesting that humans started domesticating the plant over 4,000 years ago (Lawler, 2019). Wine, similarly, is also arguably one of mankind's oldest alcoholic beverages, dating back to at least 5,000 BCE. But did you know that our ancestors also knew to combine the two?

While cannabis wine might seem like a modern invention, there's archaeological evidence to suggest that the Scythians (an ancient nomadic people originally from modern-day Iran) were avid lovers of weed wine (Jones, 2017). Burial sites and historical accounts suggest that the Scythians readily used wine and cannabis as part of their spiritual and diplomatic rituals, as well as for holistic purposes. For example, the Scythians were said to burn large stocks of hemp seeds in their tents, creating what many modern stoners know as a hotbox. Moreover, archaeologists have uncovered Scythian cups that closely resembled braziers and were suspected to be used to infuse wine with herbs like cannabis. And the Scythians weren't the only ancient people with a love for cannabis.

The followers of Dionysus (the Greek god of fertility, wine, theatre, rituals, and ecstasy) were also believed to be fans of fortified, cannabis-infused wine (Bennet, 2020). According to professor of Classical Studies at Boston University, Carl Ruck, ancient wines (including that described in the Old Testament) were generally fortified and enhanced with spices and herbs. Belladonna, opium, and mandrake are just some examples of the ingredients used to make the potent brews of ancient times. Since many ancient cultures readily used cannabis, Ruck and other experts have openly suggested that it was highly likely that weed found its way into more than one ancient brew.

How to make cannabis-infused wine at home

Unfortunately, we don't have access to any ancient Greek or Scythian recipes for making weed wine. Nonetheless, we'll walk you through two simple recipes for making a potent brew reminiscent of what might have been enjoyed by a mighty Scythian warrior or a frenzied follower of Dionysus.

Weed wine can come in several forms. On the one hand, you can use your favourite weed strain to infuse store-bought wine with the psychoactive effects of cannabis. This blend is also referred to as fortified weed wine, and can be made with a variety of spices and additives for a richer, more complex flavour.

Alternatively, you can make cannabis wine from scratch by fermenting and brewing cannabis plant material (such as flowers or trim) together with yeast, fruit, sugar, and a handful of other ingredients. The result? A potent brew with a sweeping buzz and dynamic flavour. Depending on the exact blend of ingredients you use, fermented cannabis wine can actually be very delicious.

Below, we'll teach how to make it at home with ease—but first, we’ll share a simple recipe for fortified cannabis wine using a store-bought bottle of vino.

How to make cannabis-fortified wine

Fortified wine is made by infusing wine with herbs, spices, and other ingredients (even other alcoholic beverages). The recipe below is similar to making mulled wine but utilises cannabis for an extra kick.

Ingredients

• 1 bottle red wine
• Cannabis flower (3.5–7g, depending on how potent you want your wine)
• 8–10 cloves
• 4 cardamom pods
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3–4 star anise
• 4 peppercorns
• 1 orange, sliced
• 50g raw sugar
• 1–2 tablespoons of honey
• 50ml rum, whiskey, or schnapps

Equipment

• Oven
• Lined baking sheet
• Weed grinder
• Herb infuser or tea bags
• Large saucepan

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 110°C (230°F).
   
2. Grind your cannabis flower to a medium consistency, spread it out on a lined baking sheet, and decarb in the oven for 30–45 minutes. Stir once or twice to ensure your weed toasts evenly.
   
3. Pack the decarbed flower into a herb/spice infuser or into tea bags. If you have neither, you can create a makeshift tea bag by cutting out a piece of a pantyhose, tying a knot on one end, filling it with cannabis, and then tying a knot on the other end.
   
4. Pour your wine into a large saucepan together with all of your spices, cannabis, and orange slices. Heat on low for a few minutes, then add in your sugar and honey. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your liking.
   
5. Let the wine cook on low heat for 1 hour, making sure it never boils.
   
6. You can serve the mulled weed wine immediately, adding your whiskey, rum, or schnapps roughly 5–10 minutes before serving. Alternatively, let your mulled cannabis wine cool then strain it into a container. Seal the container and store it in the fridge until you're ready to enjoy your wine.
   
7. To reheat your mulled cannabis wine, pour it into a large pot and heat it until hot.
   
8. Serve in a cup with a few orange slices and enjoy!
   

How to brew cannabis into wine

This method involves brewing cannabis and fruit into an alcoholic, wine-like beverage. Try the recipe as is to get a hang of the process, then feel free to customise it to enhance the flavour of your finished wine. Note that this recipe uses cannabis trim rather than buds, resulting in a delicious drink with a more mellow buzz. While you can use buds for a stronger end product, we don't think it's necessary.

Ingredients

• At least 120 grams of cannabis trim (the more the better)
• 2 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 1.4kg white sugar
• 1 fresh yeast cube or brewing yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Equipment

• Large pot
• Jug
• 2 sterilised 5-litre demijohns/carboys
• Brewing airlock
• 1-metre syphoning tube
• Thermometer
• Muslin
• Airtight bottles
• Optional: hydrometer

Directions

1. Cut/grind up your cannabis trim and place it all into one of your demijohns.
2. Juice your fruit and pour it into the demijohn along with the cannabis.
3. Pour 3.5 litres of water into a large pot and bring to a boil.
4. Dissolve all of your sugar into the water.
5. Pour the water into the demijohn containing the cannabis and fruit juice. Cover the top of the demijohn and shake it to mix everything.
6. In a jug, combine warm water (around 20°C) with your yeast and stir until fully combined. If your water is too cool (under 15°C), the yeast will not activate. If your water is too hot (over 25°C), your yeast may die. Use a thermometer to test the temperature of your water and ensure it's within a suitable range for yeast.
7. Use the thermometer to measure the temperature of the water in your first demijohn. Once it's within the right range for yeast, pour in the yeast mixture.
8. Cover the demijohn and shake it again to combine all the ingredients.
9. Add in enough water to fill the demijohn roughly 2 inches from the neck.
10. Store the demijohn in a warm, dark, and dry place (such as a pantry or cupboard). Light and cool temperatures will hinder the fermentation of your cannabis wine.
11. After 24 hours, place an airlock on your demijohn to cap it. this will stop oxygen from entering the vessel while allowing excess carbon dioxide created from the fermentation of the yeast to escape. Make sure to read the instructions that came with your airlock to ensure you've installed it properly.
12. Let the mixture ferment in a warm, dry, and dark place for 2–4 weeks, checking on it every 2–3 days, removing the airlock, and stirring the mixture with a sterilised spoon to ensure all the ingredients remain submerged in the water. You can use a hydrometer to check the gravity of your wine at this time and get a sense of its alcohol content.
13. You'll know that your brewed cannabis wine is ready once it stops bubbling—a sign that the yeast has consumed all the available sugar.
14. Taking care not to agitate the brewed wine too much, move your demijohn out of where you stored it and into a clean working area. Use a syphon tube to syphon the cannabis wine from your brewing demijohn through the muslin and into the other, clean demijohn. Note that the mixture may look cloudy—this is normal.
15. Seal the top of the second demijohn (which now contains the syphoned, partially filtered cannabis wine) with the airlock.
16. Store the sealed demijohn in a dark place for 1 month. This will allow the cannabis wine to age and develop more flavour, as well as the sediment within it to settle. Wash and dry your muslin—you'll need it again in step #19.
17. Sterilise your bottles with hot water and move your demijohn into a clean work area, taking care not to disturb the dark layer of sediment at the bottom. If you notice that the sediment has started to disperse in your wine (making it cloudy), set the wine in your workspace and wait for the sediment to settle again. This may take several hours.
18. Remove the airlock from the top of your demijohn and insert your syphon tube into your wine. Keep the end of the syphon at least 2cm above the sediment layer at the bottom of the demijohn.
19. Carefully syphon your cannabis wine through the muslin into your bottles.
20. Seal the bottles, being sure to create an airtight seal. You can do this using bottle caps or corks. When using corks, it's best to seal the top of the cork with wax.
21. Your cannabis wine is now ready to drink. However, consider ageing it for at least 2–6 months for a richer, more complex flavour.
22. You may notice some sediment forming at the bottom of your cannabis wine bottles. This is harmless, but feel free to strain your wine before serving to remove some of this sediment.

How do you infuse wine with CBD?

Are you looking to infuse your vino with cannabis, but are not a fan of the idea of mixing alcohol with the intoxicating high of THC? Consider making cannabis wine with CBD! In both of the recipes detailed above, you can substitute the THC-rich cannabis for a CBD variety.

Alternatively, when making mulled CBD wine, you can also infuse your wine with CBD supplements—just be sure to use a water-soluble supplement, such as water-soluble cannabis powder.

How to store cannabis wine?

How you store your cannabis wine will depend on how you make it. Mulled wine, when stored in an airtight container, can keep for several weeks in the fridge. To store the mulled wine you learned how to make above, we recommend pouring it into sterilised wine bottles and sealing the bottles with a cork. Be sure to fill the bottles as much as possible without the wine touching the cork—this will reduce the amount of oxygen in the bottle and help your mulled cannabis wine keep for longer. Also, consider covering the corks on your bottles with wax.

Brewed cannabis wine can also be stored in bottles and, when bottled properly, may keep for several months both in and out of the fridge. When bottling brewed cannabis wine, it's important to do so in sterilised bottles, and then close the bottles with an airtight seal. While there are many ways to do this, consider checking out the Homebrewing section of the Zamnesia Headshop for affordable glass bottles, crown caps, and a capping machine.

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When storing brewed or mulled cannabis wine, it's important to use sterile products to avoid contaminating your wine (which increases the chances of it going rancid). Moreover, it's vital that you store cannabis wine in containers with a tight air seal and keep as little air above the wine in your containers to minimise its oxidation over time. While both mulled and brewed cannabis wines can be stored in the fridge, brewed wine might keep better in a dry, cool, and dark cellar where its aromas and flavours can continue to age.

Good weed, good wine, and good company

Like most alcoholic beverages, cannabis wine is best enjoyed in the company of close friends, family, and loved ones. Moreover, it is best enjoyed in moderation—keep in mind that this ancient elixir packs a punch combining the buzz of regular wine with the high/stone of cannabis. Hence, serve yourself a modest glass of weed glögg, kick up your feet, and sip away slowly as you let its buzz wash over you.