GRAPE WINE NO. 2

1 gallon grapes
1 gallon water, soft
3 lb. sugar

One gallon of grapes free from stems and blemishes, one gallon of soft boiled water; bruise the grapes and let them stand with the water seven days without stirring; draw off the liquor, and to every gallon allow three pounds of loaf-sugar; put it in a barrel, cover with a blanket, and close the bung as soon as the wine ceases to hiss. It will be fit for bottling in from six to nine months.

The Housekeeper's Encyclopedia by Mrs. E. F. Haskell, 1861

Comment: Yes, in fact, we do have Mrs. Haskell's "Grape Wine No. 1" on our site here. The major difference we can tell between the two is that the other one makes about five times as much as this recipe does. Other than that, and the fact that No. 2 calls for a slightly higher proportion of sugar, we can see no practical difference whatever. Perhaps Mrs. Haskell had a word count or page quota to fill up, but on the off chance there might be some detectable difference between the resulting wines from the two receipts, we dutifully include them both for historical completeness.

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