In order to succeed in making these wines, you ought never to set your steeps in hot weather, because the heat will put the fruit in a fret which will injure its fermenting kindly.  The best time for making is in January or February.  Set your steeps in the coldest part of the cellar, still remembering to keep them from the frost.

To every gallon of water put five pounds of fruit, if good; if but indifferent, put six pounds, into the steep.  Keep stirring them three or four times a day, and let them continue in the steep till the fruit begins to burst, and the stones swim on the top; which will be in about fourteen or fifteen days.  Then strain the liquor from the fruit, and press the fruit very dry, mixing the pressings with the rest of the liquor, and put all together into a cask, and ferment it in the following manner.

To every pipe of wine take two quarts of solid ale yest and one ounce of jalap, put them into a can, and into them pour a gallon of the new wine first made hot, whisk them well together, and apply to the pipe, stirring all together very well.  If your cask be less than a pipe, proportion your yest and jalap accordingly.  When the ferment comes on, you must keep the bung-hole clean, and let the vessel be filled up three or four times a day.  Let it ferment ten or twelve days, or till it works clean and white.  Then take it off its bottom, which will be very considerable, and put it into a clean cask.  You may filter the bottom thro’ a linen rag and put to the wine.  Lay some heavy weight over the bung, and let it stand a day.  Then lay on the top of the wine five gallons of melasses-spirit, and bung it up close.  Leave out the vent peg a day or two; then drop it in the hole, and close it by degrees ’till you have made it quite close.

Let it lay in this state for six months, at that time rack it from its bottom into a clean pipe, and you’ll find it tolerably fine.  Then put to it one quart of forcing, and bung it up.  Let it lay ’till within a month of your wanting it; for the longer it lays the better it will be in body.  Then rack it for the last time (always observing you touch no bottoms) and put three pints of forcing to it.  Stir it well with your paddle, and bung it up.  The bottoms you may run thro’ a linen rag as before, and mix with that in the pipe.  You may pierce the wine in six or seven days, and you will find it quite fine and bright.

To force RAISIN WINES.

For one pipe, take two quarts of good cyder; put half an ounce of ground allum to it, and one ounce of isinglass pulled to small pieces.  Beat them well in your can three or four times a day, and let the mixture stand till it becomes a stiff jelly; then break it with your whisk, and add to it two pounds of white sand or stone dust.  Then break it up gradually with some of the wine, ’till you have made the two quarts two gallons, stir it well together, and apply to the pipe, and bung up close.