Some WFRP Wines! (Patreon)

I found the following material when I was searching an old HDD for the Holzkrug coat of arms for the map of Kalegan I'm building.

Some time ago, I was pinged by Fatshark about what they could put on some wine bottles in their brilliant Vermintide series.

So, I quickly tapped out a few things and pinged it their way. Almost all of it made its way into the game in one way or another (although I've no idea if they're still in there -- can anyone check?).

The following is an excerpt from what I sent, which you may find useful to embellish your own WFRP games.

Sample Wines of the Reikland

There have been many wines presented in various Black Library and WFRP sources, with some making better video-game options than others. Those included below are all wines explicitly mentioned in other sources. There are many more where they came from, and it's obviously easy to make up some cool new versions as needed.

I’ll split them by relative quality and rarity (summarised as expensive to cheap). In general, I suggest any labels are relatively basic with simple text and symbols. Those over 100 years old should be worn, wrinkled, and likely dusty. Those older than 200 years come from a time of age and bloodshed, when the Empire had ended, and will be enormously rare. Labels from this era are likely very simple, with more expensive wines neatly hand-written and hand-illuminated. Those less than 50 years old may be printed, may have complicated symbols, and are perhaps a little more 'commercial'.

Bretonnian wine labels are simpler than Empire wines, and are not printed (although they may be relabelled by a trading house to make them more appealing in the Empire, which is more likely to happen to wines passing through Marienburg).

With that all in place, here are some sample tipples, and some suggestions for possible design.

EXPENSIVE

Morceaux Vallée

Arguably the finest red wines in the Old World, although some whites also originate there. Any labels will be very simple, marked with the name ‘Morceaux Vallée’, the name of the individual vineyard (created as required, such as ‘Domaine du Bois’), and the year.

More elaborate bottles of Morceaux are relabelled in Marienburg where they print beautiful labels of blue and gold embellished with fleur-de-lys, a shining grail, and a fine type at the bottom marking the bottle label as printed in Marienburg by the printing house of your choice. The label about the neck has the vintage in delicate print. The main body of the label names the wine, the farm, and the grape used (likely Morcin or Bordella). At the bottom is printed ‘Bottled at source. Shipped by House Karstadt, Ubersreik’.

Kalebergunder

Kalebergunder grapes are particularly fickle and refuse to grow anywhere but the banks of the Bögen in the Duchy of Holzkrug by Kalegan. The Raeder family use these red grapes to create a white wine. Neither rot nor weiss, Kalebergunder may appear entirely white, but has the body of a red. The labels are professionally printed in Altdorf and show the Holzkrug Crowned Swan coat of arms wrapped with fine decoration, with griffons and comets woven into both sides and an imperial cross at each top corner. Kalebergunder emblazons the top. A seal adorns one corner with a stylised ‘H’. At the bottom is written ‘by appointment to House Holzkrug’. The vintage sits above this. On the neck, the label is signed by the vintner above the word ‘BÖGENER’.

MID-PRICE

Holthusen Chassel Eiswein

Many Holthusen wines are traditionally bottled in round bottles (Bocksbeutel). The most famous, Holthusen Chassel, is made from the Chassel grapes that have naturally frozen on the vine, making for a far more potent alcoholic content. Marked for export to Altdorf where it’s very popular, and Marienburg where it has some traction. The neck label is marked ‘Weiss-Wit-Blanc’, is signed by the vintner responsible, and printed with ‘Wein-Wijn-Vin’ below this. The main label is an image of the ‘Weinkellerei’, the maturing facility, which is a converted manor, with the words ‘Holthusen Chassel Eiswein’ above. In small type, it’s marked with ‘Bottled and shipped by Holthusen Extended Estates. Beneath this, in larger type, is the vintage year (likely within the last thirty years), and the word ‘REIKER’.

Oppenheimer’s Veinyard

Marked with a plain skull-stamped label flanked with chains and handwritten with the vintage. Titled with Oppenheim Veinyard, Eilhart. Marked with ‘Prinzipal’ at the bottom, the grape used.

Pritzstock Reisling

A light, delicate wine of increasing popularity, Pritzstock Reisling has a simple label with heraldry displaying three running wolves, one of which has a skull for a head. The motto ‘Immer Wachsam’ is on a scroll at the bottom of this, and beneath this is the vintage (likely 2515). At the top of the label is ‘PRITZSTOCK’ with ‘Riesling’ just beneath that. At the bottom is ‘Mohler’ with ‘City State of Middenheim’ beneath that. ‘Brewed in Pritzstock, bottled in Delberz’.

Whistler’s Finest

Mootland wine from the Whistler clan. All bottles are hand-painted by Halfling children, each quite different, marked Whilster’s Finest at the top, with the vintage daubed at the bottom. The vintage is rarely older than 2500.

CHEAP

Longingbruck Ruby

A white wine with a ruddy colour (caused by cow blood used during fermentation). The label is yellow with a red printed long-horn bull’s head. Marked with ‘Longingbruck ‘Ruby’ ’, ‘Averland’, and a year (never before 2505 IC). Also marked with the printing house responsible in Averheim.

Ranald’s Bounty

A mass-produced wine from the Duchy of Falkenhayn, and popular across the Vorbergland from Helmgart down to Dunkelberg, Ranald’s Bounty is brewed by vineyards in Grautal near the village of Lietze. The label has an arch-backed cat with the words ‘Ranald’s Bounty’ above. Beneath are the words ‘Wine’, ‘Chassel’, ‘Presentation of House Finkackreuth of Stimmigen, bottled and brewed’, and under that ‘Falkenhayn, Upper Teufel’. On the stem is the vintage (likely 2480-2520), and the word ‘TRANIGTAL’.

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Have you spotted any of these in your playthroughs of Vermintide? I know most of them were created, as the labels were sent to me (which was kinda cool, but someone else's IP, so I won't share them here!).

If you have spotted any of them, please send a screenshot. I'll add it to the blog!

As always, if you have any opinions, suggestions, questions, or have just spotted an error, ping me over on the LAWhammer Discord and let's talk it out.

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