One Napa vintner says wine and cannabis can coexist

With recreational marijuana now legal in California, some winemakers are starting to think about exploring the synergy between pot and wine.

Zack Crafton, the former vice president of operations for NakedWines.com, is in the process of producing a boutique wine label called Flora & Candor and at the same time, selling online cannabis products as CEO of the new online retailer, Big Moon Sky, that offers cannabis, edibles and vaping products.

Crafton is parlaying his wine experience into his online cannabis business with a site that offers detailed tasting notes for discerning and connoisseur-type customers who want to shop as carefully for their pot experience as they do for their wine experience.

Here’s one example from bigmoonsky.com: “Good Co-Op Brownies: We found the iconic weed brownie. This version is low-dose and delicious. Expect to taste a bit of cannabis and sea salt and a lot of dark-chocolate goodness.”

The vintner/cannabis retailer doesn’t see cannabis and wine being at odds –– quite the opposite.

“There will be a small battle over wallet share but for the most part, both industries can live in harmony,” Crafton said. “I think people appreciate the few side effects of cannabis.”

Crafton said his pot customers choose a cannabis product for these reasons, which may sound familiar to many wine drinkers:

1. To help them relax or unwind at the end of the day.

2. To serve as their muse when they’re working on a project.

3. To let lose in a social setting or a concert

“For me personally, I’ve stopped buying the everyday drinking wine,” Crafton said. “I still, however, very much appreciate the viticulture and enology of a lovingly produced wine … I truly believe cannabis and wine can coexist.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.