In the 1970s, the landscape of wine in the US looked markedly different from today’s. Without access to boutique wine shops across the country where an educated staff supports consumers in making exploratory and even esoteric selections, the average American wine drinker was relegated to bulk jugs of straw-wrapped Chiantis and largely uneducated about the world of the vine beyond vague notions of “whites with fish and reds with meat.”
But there were two major moments that decade that brought US consumers out of the wine dark ages and laid the foundation for this country’s modern era of oenophiles: First, the famed “Judgment Of Paris” in 1976, which saw Napa Valley Cabernet and Chardonnay beat out some of the most respected and stalwart Bordeaux selections in a blind tasting, earning top honors and officially putting California producers on the global wine map. Then, in 1978, a wine critic named Robert Parker launched a newsletter called The Wine Advocate, where he began reviewing wines and scoring them on an easy-to-understand 100-point scale.
Together, these two moments piqued the interest of the international wine trade and helped American wine drinkers understand not only that quality and craftsmanship mattered—but that they could be empowered to lean on the guidance of an industry expert to find the right wine for them.
Half a century later, the American consumer is so well versed in vino that restaurants offer book-like wine lists, and even Big Box retailers such as Costco turn to the 100-point scale to help consumers make an informed purchasing decision while buying at discount. And now, cannabis, an industry that’s had its own unique journey over the past 50 years itself, is poised to tap into these same tools to help elevate consumer engagement through education, standardization of excellence and the celebration of craft.
Enter Budist, the rating and review platform that’s taken the cannabis world by storm. Launched by industry veterans Jocelyn Sheltraw and Claudio Miranda in 2024, Budist has adopted the wine world’s 100-point scale and applied it across all major categories of cannabis products in an effort to help consumers understand quality and nuance in product assessment. “As a lifelong lover of both wine and cannabis, I’ve long seen the need for this level of quality designation,” says Miranda, who serves as the company’s COO. “Applying the 100-point scale to cannabis products offers an easy-to-digest way for consumers to understand what separates a good product from an excellent one, and helps them understand the interplay of price, quality and craftsmanship.”
blowing app. Budist, the rating and review platform, has taken the cannabis world by storm by adapting wine industry norms
The Budist platform consists of a mobile app, website, social channels, newsletter and a series of in-person and virtual events, all rooted by a robust community of both professional and consumer conno
