By Melissa Hutsell
The era of social distancing is upon us, but that hasn’t stopped many from sharing a drink with friends and family. While several bars, restaurants and wineries remain closed across the country, people are fighting isolation by meeting online for virtual happy hours.
Share a bottle, and a virtual toast during your online happy hour with this cannabis infused wine, made by Viv and Oak.
Different Dosing Styles
Viv and Oak’s wines are made with California zinfandel grapes. The blends are de-alcoholized, and infused with cannabis using a nano-encapsulation process. The process increases the bioavailability—or onset—of the cannabinoids, and their effects.
The company’s sparkling reds come in three different “dosing styles.” Those include:
- 50mg of THC
- 100mg of CBD, 4 mg CBD
- THC 25mg THCv 25mg CBD 25mg
Though each variety has its own cannabinoid profile, one glass of any Shimmering Scarlet blend has 3 grams of sugar, and 16 calories—far lower than the 120-130 calories in the average glass of red.
For Red, White… and Non-Wine Lovers
This past February, my partner and I shared a bottle of Viv and Oak’s Shimmering Scarlet with 50mg of THC. While he typically prefers red wine, and I, white or rosé—we were both immediately captivated by this wine.
As soon as we popped the bottle open, we were met with a robust aroma. I picked up on a layered flavor profile as I sipped and swirled. It’s bitter, but sweet—fruity, and slightly smokey. Hints of berries (blackberries or cranberries) come through, followed by a subtle mesquite-like flavor. It’s smooth, delicate, and full-bodied.
My favorite part about this blend is the carbonation. It’s so subtly bubbly, almost like Champagne—but much smoother. It reminded me of a cran-apple cider, but less bubbly and not as sweet.
The blend was incredibly drinkable. In fact, it was hard to pace ourselves… we both inhaled our first glasses. By the end of the night, we topped off the entire bottle.
The effects came on quick. Within 10 minutes, we felt a zest of energy. I was gleeful, talkative, and uplifted throughout the rest of the night. With roughly 25mg of THC in our systems by night’s end, we felt it was just right. We slept well that evening, and woke up without any sort of hangover the next morning.
An All-Star Infusion
When rating a product, we at the Emerald always consider product packaging, and lab test availability.
Viv and Oak’s packaging was not excessive; the bottle arrived neatly packed in a stylish, reusable box. The twistable cap made the bottle easy to pop open, and was reseal.
I’m a sucker for beautiful designs or logos—especially on wine bottles. I really enjoyed the vibrant, metallic, sophisticated and feminine Viv and Oak designs, which popped out in my wine collection.
In terms of lab test results, they are not available online. However, customers can request copies, which can be emailed directly to them.
At $38 per bottle, the price is just a bit high—considering I’d drink this everyday if I could—but reasonable for this high quality bevy. We can’t wait to get our hands on the company’s other blends, which are currently available for delivery in California through Calicare Group in Northern California.
Overall, the Shimmering Scarlet 50mg THC blend earned a 4.7 star rating from the Emerald.
TELL US: Are you participating in online happy hours with friends? If so, what are you toasting with?
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