An excursion in the upper part of our state, which kept me some time from home, has prevented an earlier reply to your letter of the 3rd June—

It will give me great pleasure to have you 30 Gallons of the Grape Juice put up in the best stile and entirely unmixed with any other substance—The season for procuring it, is in October, and previous to that time I will make arrangments with Mr James Ambrose (who is a man of very fair character & said to be the first manifacturer of scuppernong wine in this state) to put up the Juice for you—about two years since I persuaded this gentleman to distill one Barrel Juice to add to a proportion of the Juice not distilld so as to make a Bbl wine for you and which I thought would be greatly superior to the common mixture of apple Brandy—Mr Ambrose made the attempt, but lost both Barrels Juice, by carelessly putting about 2 Gallons Green Grapes with those which were to be expressed for distillation—He did not offer me the Bbl wine when made as he knew I wanted it for you.

Some attempts have been made before now to preserve the Juice without1 the addition of some stronger liquid; but in all cases that ever I have known the Juice becomes flat & insipid—It will gradually restore itself if sufferd to remain unmoved, but I have never known an instance where it was permitted to remain more than a twelve month & which is not long enough to make a fair proof of it—I am however of opinion that a small portion of Brandy say 2 Gallons, to the Barrel, instead of 6 Glls the usual quantity wd have a tendency to preserve2 the Juice better—The 2 Bbls I sent you some time since had about 5 Glls Brandy each—

If I have no further instructions on the subject I will have a 30 Gll Cask pure Juice put up in October & sent to Col Peyton first opportunity.

I have never seen any of this wine of more than three years standing, & that had so much improved, it scarcely seemed to be the same wine—In no case have I ever known Sugar put in—