A Guide for Pairing Weed with Wine

Marijuana and wine tastings are the latest hot trend to hit California. Pairing the two is a literal harmony of the senses, since both show impressive diversity, complexity, and depth. If you have yet to pair weed with wine, then expect an experience words fail to describe. Tantalizing the taste buds with these two promises a delight unmatched, but how do you pair them if you are new to wine, cannabis, or both?

Understanding the Basic Principles of Wine Pairing

An ideal match should promise an experience better than the pairing of two parts. As Jameson Fink, a Senior Digital Editor at Wine Enthusiast said, “Steak and cabernet sauvignon is a perfect example. On its own, cabernet is rich and tannic. Pair it with steak and a wonderful dance happens; the fat of the meat tames tannins and, simultaneously, the tannins cut through the fat and ready you for the next bite.”

For anyone overwhelmed by the thought of pairing wine and weed, you are not alone. Most newbies admit feeling intimidated by the vast number of potential pairings possible, which is understandable. Hundreds of wine varieties exist and thousands of marijuana strains, as well as variations of them, such as strain phenotypes and red blends. New strains emerge daily, making the possibilities endless.

Fortunately, there are no wrong pairings. “There are no hard and fast rules,” Fink explains. “That same steak can be great with a pinot noir. And one of the best wine pairings I ever had with steak was Champagne,” as unconventional as that may seem. The same is true of pairing wine with anything else, including chocolate, cheese, and yes, marijuana. Simply put, if it works for you, then it is a good pairing.

Using Flavor to Pair Wine and Pot

Terpenes characterize weed largely. They are a diverse class of aromatic oils occurring naturally in pot plants that give strains their unique flavors and smells. Since the Lavender strain smells just like lavender, you can assume the presence of linalool, a common terpene in lavender flowers. Likewise, myrcene gives Mango Kush its flavor, which you also find in its namesake fruit.

A good pairing will complement or accentuate existing flavors in both the wine and weed, in a unique way. A good tip for newbies is to begin with descriptive strains, such as the obviously tangerine-flavored strain Tangie, or Lemon Haze, even Strawberry Cough. A citrusy wine will pair well with citrusy strains, and you should consider other flavors that complement citrus too, such as Chenin Blanc.

If you have ever tried your hand at pairing wine with food, then you already have an advantage. For example, if you would be willing to add lemons to a sangria made from Chenin Blanc, then a lemon-flavored strain is just a logical place to start. Once you try a few easy pairings, you can then start thinking out of the box to come up with other, perhaps imaginative, combinations.

As Fink suggests, “It would be interesting to explore cannabis strains with grassy, herbaceous flavors and aromas to see if they complement or accentuate a white and a red wine with those characteristics, such as sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc. Experts advise using a vaporizer suitable for marijuana flowers. Doing so will make it easier to detect the subtle flavors present in vapor, but lacking in smoke.

Using Effects to Pair Wine and Weed

The biggest lure of pairing wine and marijuana is the fact that both influence the mental state of the person consuming them. This makes them much more compelling that pairing either with, say, food. For example, red wine has a warm, cozy, even romantic, effect on the drinker, and some strains, quite a few actually, have similarly arousing effects.

When creating wine and cannabis pairings, it is important to be very mindful of the specific effects of both the wine and the strain. Swallowing two glasses of a heavy red and smoking a sleepy indica with it may leave you and your guests dozing in an armchair instead of socializing with each other. If red wine makes you sleepy, then go for an energizing Sativa or hybrid to balance it out, and never, ever, overdo it.

Order Pot Online in California

If guests are coming over and there will be wine going around, then have a marijuana delivery service bring a few strains for you to pair with it. Simply search Google for a “cannabis delivery service near me” to find a trusted company that delivers to your area. However, since not all are trustworthy and swindles abound, it is wise to check online customer reviews to get an idea of its quality and reliability.

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