Grain based wine?

[3274mike]

I know we are not ot discuss destilling. So here goes an you in theory make a grain based wine with just soaking like a flack only grain. I'm assuming best use milled grain like in beer making would you have to heat like mash or just soak like fruit. I have heard of corn wine can you get taste without abv being high as in liqour. Other thoughts of using rye malt for process would this work or just make flat beer tasting wine just a thouhght. AND AGAIN NO DISTILLATION PROCESS SO WE CAN DISCUSS THIS HERE

 

[BernardSmith]

Many moons ago , when I first started making wine I made a wine from rice and one from wheat berries. I simply cooked the grains in boiling water and extracted the flavor from the grains added sugar to reach my desired gravity (it would have been around 1.090) and went from there. I thought the wine was quite drinkable but I am not sure that those I shared it with all agreed - although today, I suspect the real problem was my lack of experience and not the source of the wine... But that said, if you use malt (or you "mash" the grains), then you are aiming for a beer and if your gravity is very high (wine like ) then you are aiming for a "barleywine".. That's because malt is the result of converting starch (which yeast cannot get at) to sugars which they can. And while brewers might prefer to use ale or lager yeasts because of the flavor profiles they are looking for from their brews I don't think that there is a fundamental reason you could not ferment malts with wine yeasts although they will produce esters and phenols that brewers might not expect or desire.
If you simply make a tea from the grains then there is very little fermentable in that tea that the yeast can use. What you have is the extracted flavor..Think elderflower or hibiscus

 

[3274mike]

Thanks and I am accustomed to making wines only I like but more for me

 

[MattWI]

Sorry to bump, but last year I made several types of grain wine. Whole (non-ground) beer grain works well. If you do not rinse it first make sure to start with Campden tabs or K Meta or the stuff on the grain will give you some funky off flavors. Don't boil, either.

If using beer grain, I have found using your "steeping" type grains give much better flavor than 2 row or Munich. Avoid roasted unmalted barley and midnight wheat, but a small amount of chocolate malt and Caramel 90/120 is very interesting and, IMO, very pleasant.

I have found it works best as a blending wine with other strong fruits - barley/banana was a huge hit. Barley/mint tastes like a cough drop.

1.5/2 lbs if grain per gallon is a good starting place - more if you aren't using raisins or grape concentrate for body.