phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES MARCH 31ST– APRIL 6TH, 2022 State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Certifications | CANNABIS | Arizona’s Sweet Dreams Vineyards has come up with an alcohol-free cannabis- infused wine. Danielle Baker, Phoenix PR & Marketing Doja Cab The former University of Phoenix president says to drink cannabis wine instead of hooch. BY CYRUS GUCCIONE L ove the wine, hate the heartburn after. Want the mellow night in, but not the throbbing head the next morning. If that sounds familiar, an Arizona vintner has come up with a drink to replace the cabernet with cannabis. Sweet Dreams Vineyards just launched two new alcohol-free adult drinks that nix the booze in exchange for THC, offering a quick and consistent cannabis effect that has been said to aid in sleep and pain management. Bill Gibbs, founder and owner of Sweet Dreams Vineyards in Phoenix, wanted to create a cannabis-based adult beverage that is tasty, low-calorie, and a healthier alternative to alcohol. “I think that with two-thirds of people in this country finding cannabis as a viable alternative [to alcohol], they’re ready for something like this,” says Gibbs. The two new products from Sweet Dreams Vineyards, the Cannabernet wine and Marijuarita, deliver flavor profiles similar to wine and a traditional margarita without the taste of THC, the psychoactive ingredient that makes you feel stoned. The Cannabernet, which is sold in 750 mL and 187 mL bottles, is made with blue- berry and pomegranate juice. The Marijuarita, which is currently only sold in 187 mL bottles, is made with lime juice. Both products contain zero alcohol and are available in THC strengths of 10 , 50, or 100 milligrams. The idea for the nonalcoholic beverages came to Gibbs while attending a cannabis convention in Las Vegas. During the convention, Gibbs jokingly slapped a cannabis sticker on a random bottle of wine and people started to ask questions. “Almost everybody that came by wanted to know about the wine,” says Gibbs, who through a stroke of luck and wit found that there was a real interest in an alternative to alcohol using cannabis. The former president of the University of Phoenix has been in the cannabis industry for quite a while. He was the former co-owner of Urban Greenhouse (now Harvest House of Cannabis) and a former board member of the Arizona Dispensaries Association. He fought, successfully, to get Proposition 207 passed in Arizona, clearing the way for legal adult- use marijuana throughout the state. When the idea of cannabis-infused beverages came to him, he thought it would be simple, given the proximity to California’s abundance of great wineries and Arizona’s expanding vineyards. Unfortunately, nonalcoholic wine tastes terrible, according to Gibbs. Try substi- tuting in THC for alcohol and it’s horren- dous. “I don’t mean just kinda not great — I mean it is awful,” he says. After more than a year of experimenting with various flavor profiles and commis- sioning multiple labs and local sommeliers to test his products, he finally found a recipe that was worth trying. When asked who he envisions buying his products, he goes beyond describing the typical cannabis user who enjoys trying new types of edibles. Gibbs is targeting the entire alcohol-consuming public. “I am trying to convert people from alcohol to cannabis,” says Gibbs. “Whether I’m successful is yet to be determined, >> p 47 45
