Napa winemaker sees parallel universe in craft cannabis

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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. At the same time, he’s chief executive of Big Moon Sky, a new online retailer 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, connoisseur-level customers who want to shop as carefully for their cannabis as they do for their wine. 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.”

With a hand in both industries, Crafton says he doesn’t see cannabis and wine being at odds.

“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 loose 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.”