Skip Champagne: Pop Bottles of California-Made Bubbles on New Year’s Eve - Eater SF

"Making wine from flowers dates back thousands of years. During the Han Dynasty, chrysanthemum wine was prized for its health benefits. Aaliyah Nitoto has always been obsessed with lavender and its clean, spicy, and relaxing scent, so she decided to make wine from 100 percent organic lavender. The wine opens with a soft fruity nose, but it’s brisk and lightly effervescent with zesty citrus peel and slightly bitter lavender notes balanced by powdery florals on the palate. It turns out lavender contains linalool, one of the same terpenes that enables CBD to create full body relaxation. The winery just moved to Livermore and hopes to open for tastings early in 2022, but the wine is available in local stores, and they deliver in the Bay Area. About $23 for a 375ml bottle." - Maria C. Hunt