Gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands and clutching of pearls. These were the hyperbolic reactions characterizing the beer and wine industry’s response within states that have adult-use recreational cannabis. However, a funny thing happened between all of the overdramatized pearl clutching: the industry began to adapt and recognize the utility of recreational cannabis for its marketplaces.

In California, winemakers have pivoted towards cannabis in, among other methods, one slightly circuitous but utilitarian approach: applying their equipment and grape-sterilizing techniques towards cannabis. This look at winemakers in California working with cannabusinesses from MJ Biz Daily offers a glimpse into the opportunities many winemakers see with cannabis.

While cannabis and wine may seem like an unlikely pairing at first blush, the two industries face a lot of similar problems. Particularly when it comes to ensuring quality control and sterile processing environments. As we briefly reviewed last fall, similar strains of mold and fungus, such as the ones that cause noble rot, can afflict both winemaking grapevines and cannabis flowers. Blasting grapes (or cannabis flowers) with ozone can drastically reduce the likelihood of an outbreak once the crop is either stored or processed. The dilemma that many plant-touching businesses face is where to find the ozone-treating equipment. Enter the winemakers with their specialized machinery and specialized knowledge. Clearwater Tech, a San Luis Obispo-based company, has started working with plant-touching companies on a limited basis as a trial of sorts.

“We were a bit nervous until things became a bit more legalized and stable, and then it made sense for us to go down that path,” said Marc DeBrum, sales manager at Clearwater, to MJ Biz Daily.

While cannabis’ path to legalization may have been the signal for higher levels of quality control and better sterilizing techniques, the symbiosis between weed and wine/beermakers doesn’t end there. Just last week it was announced that Keith Villa, the mad genius behind the ubiquitous Blue Moon, will be entering into a new brewing endeavor that will replace alcohol with THC. While time –and the consumer– will dictate exactly how successful efforts such as beer infused with THC will become, the impact that adult-use recreational cannabis is having on reshaping traditional industries is already being felt. As Tony Magee, the founder of Lagunitas Brewing, said back in February: “I think (cannabis) is going to be way, way, way, way bigger [than the craft brewing scene.]”