Thanks to the Rev for hooking me up with his secret source for worm wine…
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Ray Reigstad of Duluth, Minn. is the producer and bottler (but not, unfortunately, seller) of Army Worm Wine, which he distills from fermented forest tent caterpillars of the species Malacosoma disstria. Reigstad explains the process of straining, fermenting, and aging his brew in his online manifesto. “It’s a white wine; I’d say it would go really good with walleye or any seafood, but especially a freshwater fish,” he says. From a review of Army Worm Wine in the Duluth News Tribune:
Reigstad got the idea for army worm wine last year from a co-worker who told him that his grandfather used to make it. That got Reigstad thinking about how it could be done since wine is typically made from a fruit or flower.
“Army worms eat leaves,” he reasoned. “So essentially they’re a combination of fruit and flowers.”