With the La Jolla Art and Wine Festival occurring over the weekend, Torrey Holistics, the only dispensary located in District 1, is busy promoting a truly high-end product – California’s first cannabis-infused sauvignon blanc. In partnership with Palos Verdes-based Rebel Coast Winery, Torrey Holistics has been selling the millennial-marketed wine, which contains no alcohol, since discovering its existence earlier this year. Since local statutes still prohibit the consumption of marijuana in a public place, Torrey Holistics’ booth at the LJAWF will be displaying empty bottles of the product. The THC-laden aperitif contains 20 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. That means that each glass contains 5 milligrams, which, according to the winery, is enough to get you “high, not stoned.” Each bottle carries a retail price of $59.95, which is comparable to any other decent bottle. As mentioned previously, Rebel Coast’s sauvignon blanc also contains no alcohol whatsoever, which means there’s no hangover. “We’ve heard from the majority of our customers that the wine was ‘light and refreshing,’ that they ‘slept very well’ after consuming it and that it makes a tremendous party favor,” said Ruthie Edelson, marketing director at Torrey Holistics. “Another added benefit of the wine is that each glass only contains 35 calories – much less than a typical glass of wine.”
In further specification, a strain of sativa was chosen as one of the bases for producing the sauvignon blanc. This kind of marijuana tends to elevate the consumer’s mood, focus, and appetite, without making them more tired than usual, which makes it fitting for a non-alcoholic light wine.”
According to the Rebel Coast website, the flavor profile of the wine is “A California Sauvignon Blanc and has every character of it. It has high acid, with bright citrus and a crisp clean finish. Our blend does not taste strongly of marijuana; instead, the Sauvignon Blanc powers the mouthfeel. It’s crisp, refreshing and best served naked.”
Products like Rebel Coast’s wine echo a macro-societal hope of the marijuana industry – to shatter decades’ worth of pejorative stereotypes associated with cannabis consumption. Since the passing of Proposition 64, an onslaught of positive public relations and feel-good cannabis-related acts of philanthropy seem to pervade all forms of media. It makes sense, as marijuana tends to transcend social and economic castes.
Torrey Holistics, one of the ultimate dispensaries in San Diego, seems to epitomize this mindset. In their discreet-yet-upscale dispensary location, they work to educate customers of all backgrounds about the newly legal substance. “One of our associates simply saw an advertisement for Rebel Coast’s THC-infused wine, and knew that it was perfect for our demographic,” said Edelson. “As far as I know, a few other dispensaries in LA were able to stock it, but the majority of the bottles were sent down here. I’ve also been told that they are currently working on a red wine, but when it will be made available is not known.”
TORREY HOLISTICS
Where: 10671 Roselle St., Ste. 100;
Contact: torreyholistics.com, definitelynotrebelcoastwinery.com/weed-wine; 858-558-1420.