Raise a glass: House of Saka launches cannabis-infused wines

22 Nov 2018 --- House of Saka has launched a line of cannabis-infused, alcohol-removed wines from Napa Valley. The wines will be available in over 600 stores throughout California and Nevada starting mid-2019, before expanding nationwide and globally.

The company is launching a Sparkling Brut Rosé and a still Rosé wine, both infused with a proprietary formulation of tasteless, odorless water-soluble ratio of THC and CBD derived from organic craft cannabis, according to Saka Wines. 

“After almost 30 years of spearheading innovation in the adult beverage space and working with some of the most recognized wine and spirit brands in the world, I am confident that cannabis-infused products are the future,” says Saka Wines CEO, Tracey Mason. 

Based in Napa Valley, Saka Wines – a subsidiary of The House of Saka – supply Pinot Noir-based wines sourced from vineyards across the California valley. The wines undergo traditional fermentation, after which the alcohol is removed and they are infused with Saka's proprietary, patent-pending formulated ratio of THC:CBD. 

House of Saka & Saka Wines Founder, Cynthia Salarizadeh says: “The concept for this brand began five years ago and it was all about the right team and timing to launch the best tasting cannabis-infused wine. With regulations and infrastructure mature enough to bring the brand to life, I knew this was the right time.”

Salarizadel tells NutritionInsight that their immediate focus is on bringing the Saka wine portfolio to market in the first quarter of 2019, while at the same time, running R&D on the balance of the House of Saka portfolio of health, beauty and indulgence products (including an infused ice cream) which they plan to launch in summer 2019. 

Cannabis had already been tipped by industry experts as an area for growth in North America, with people across different populations showing more curiosity for the ingredient as it gains increasing acceptance. 

“Replacing alcohol with our proprietary THC:CBD formulation brings many benefits. With responsible consumption, the absence of alcohol means less harm to your liver, fewer calories and no recovery time, while the presence of THC:CBD provides all the known, scientifically-proven health benefits of cannabis including increased focus, inflammation and pain relief and improved muscle function,” says Salarizadeh. 

Recently Toast Holdings, Inc., the parent company of luxury Cannabis brand Toast, launched a new line of CBD oils: Toast CBD Oil Original and Toast CBD Oil Cold Pressed Orange. Toast CBD Oil is an all-natural, full-spectrum hemp extract oil that delivers varying potencies of CBD, which is said to help balance mood, relieve post-exercise pain and calm temporary anxiety. The range of CBD Oils will be launched through New York restaurant by Chloe and will feature in a range of treats.

Innova Market Insights data show that of the global food, beverages and supplement product launches featuring CBD in 2018 so far, the US accounts for 76 percent of launches.

Additionally, scientists at the Canadian Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University have pinpointed the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical “high” or euphoria produced by the THC, further underlining the compound’s potential in offering relief to chronic pain sufferers.