Charge Those Crystals, Kids; Tank Garage Winery Releases a Crystal-Fermented Cabernet Sauvignon

I hate to break it to you, but there’s no scientific evidence that healing crystals work. Mostly it’s a placebo effect, and if you’re the type of person predisposed to believing in the energetic vibrancy of quartz, you’ll likely feel a tingle of something. But far be it from me to yuck your homeopathic yum—if you want to meditate while clutching your Deep Russian Amethyst while banging Laraaji, I will fight for your right to party. 

But what about crystal-fermenting a wine? Is that something you can even do, and can it bring positive vibrations to a Cabernet?

As it turns out, this is very much happening in the world of wine. First brought to life by natural winemaker Jason Ruppert of Ardure Wines, he uses crystals that have previously been buried in the ground so they can charge under a full moon that then goes into clay vases for the next 11 months. Now, experimental winery Tank Garage is also playing nice with the new-age kids and releasing their 2021 crystal-powered Crystal Visions. The foot-stomped, stem-included Cabernet Sauvignon features grapes that sat in macro bins with crystals “washed in the cool Bodega Bay waters and charged by waxing moon in Murphys, California.”

Essentially, crystal fermentation involves fermenting grapes alongside several charged quartz crystals. “Quartz naturally vibrates at an exact frequency and, when pressurized, can produce small volts of electricity,” said the winery of the release. "Jason [Ruppert] believes this process helps add energetic vibrancy to his wine. And while Jason acknowledges the ‘woo-woo’ perception of crystals, he also trusts in the scientific and historical literature as well. ’The Egyptians put amethyst, rubies, and lapis in their goblets of wine. There's something there. Even way back then.’”

As for the design, Crystal Visions gets the full-collage treatment, a signature style that pops up on many of Tank Garage's limited-run bottles. This bottle, however, leans into the “Gold Dust Woman” meets “Sisters of the Moon” aesthetic. A starry backdrop gives way to a person wearing a cluster of crystals over their head, perhaps contemplating their very existence and definitely not the upcoming midterm elections. 

"Our Crystal Visions wine was inspired by the lyric in the Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks song ‘Dreams,’” said Tank Garage owner James Harder. “The label was designed in-house by our team at Tank Garage, symbolizing the art of crystal gazing—our simple attempt at seeing into the future of wine growing and making through continued risk and experimentation."

Will you be positively vibrating as soon as you take a sip of this crystal-charged Cab? That’s for you to find out. But I’m eager to rip into a bottle and bliss out for days.

You can snag a bottle of Crystal Vision here. Act now, as only 85 cases were made.

Images courtesy of Tank Garage Winery.