TL;DR
- Wine is Sacred is the 6th main quest in the Blood and Wine DLC.
- Suggested level is 42. It is set in Toussaint.
- You escort Duchess Anna Henrietta to Castel Ravello Vineyard to investigate stolen Sangreal wine.
- You fight panthers (optional), inspect barrels, expose Fabricio, and ambush bandits at Fort Astre Ruins.
- No major choices here — all dialogue options lead to the same outcome.
- Completing the barrel investigation earns 600 XP. Defeating the panthers earns 450 XP. Defeating the bandits earns 1,500 XP.
Wine is Sacred – Quest Overview
Wine is Sacred is the sixth main quest in the Blood and Wine expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It takes place entirely in Toussaint and follows directly after Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away. The next quest after this is The Man from Cintra.
This quest has a suggested level of 42. You visit three key locations: Beauclair Palace, Castel Ravello Vineyard, and Fort Astre Ruins.
The story here is simple but fun. Geralt has a wine-stained letter as a clue. The sommelier identifies the wine as 1269 Sangreal — made exclusively for the Ducal table at Castel Ravello. The Duchess decides to personally visit the vineyard. Things quickly get messy.
How to Start Wine is Sacred
This quest starts automatically after you complete Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away. Head to Beauclair Palace and speak with Duchess Anna Henrietta. Damien de la Tour, the captain of her guard, is also present.
Go through the conversation options. The Duchess won’t be happy that you haven’t killed Dettlaff yet. But Geralt convinces her to focus on finding the vampire’s blackmailer first. She calls in her sommelier, who identifies the wine stain as Sangreal 1269 — exclusively produced at Castel Ravello Vineyard.
No matter what you say here, the outcome is the same. She will insist on visiting the vineyard personally. You can choose to leave immediately or tell her you need more time.
Escort Anna Henrietta to Castel Ravello
Once you tell Damien you are ready, you will ride together toward Castel Ravello. This is a fairly short ride, but something happens on the way.
Optional: Save the Peasants from Panthers
On the road to Castel Ravello, you will see a wagon under attack by two level 42 panthers. You can choose to stop and fight them or keep riding and ignore them.
If you stop and kill the panthers, you earn 450 XP. The guards will largely leave the fighting to you, so be prepared.
Combat tips for the panthers:
- Apply Beast Oil to your Steel Sword before the fight. It deals bonus damage to beasts like panthers.
- Use Aard to knock them down and create openings.
- Use Igni to set them on fire and deal damage over time.
- Use Axii to stun them momentarily if they are getting close.
If you skip the panthers and ride on, the objective fails and Anna and Damien will criticize you when you meet them at the vineyard. However, the rest of the quest proceeds normally. You will not miss any major reward.
You can also fall slightly behind the group just before they reach the wagon, let them pass the attack spot, then catch up. This skips the panther fight entirely without the failed objective.
Arrive at Castel Ravello and Question Fabricio
Once you arrive at Castel Ravello Vineyard, you will speak with Fabricio, the vineyard’s steward. He is evasive and a little arrogant.
You can ask him two of the three available questions. It doesn’t matter which two you pick. No combination will give you a satisfying answer. After a short exchange, Anna Henrietta loses patience and demands to inspect the wine cellar herself. Fabricio has no choice but to hand over the key.
Investigate the Wine Cellar
Follow the Duchess into the cellar. This is where you need to do some work.
Step 1: Read the Wine Register
As soon as you enter the cellar, turn around and look near the staircase entrance. You will find the wine register (inventory ledger) on a table. It will be highlighted red with your Witcher Senses. Read it.
The register looks normal at first. Nothing obviously out of place. But this tells you what to look for: Sangreal from the 1269 vintage.
Note: If you somehow find the correct wine barrel before reading the register, you will get an objective to guide Anna Henrietta to it. But she will actually walk there herself anyway. You just need to meet her there.
Step 2: Find the Sangreal 1269 Barrels
The barrels you need are not on the ground floor. Head upstairs using the staircase in the middle of the cellar. Cross the bridge and walk to the far south-east corner. That is where the Sangreal 1269 barrels are located.
You can also read the labels on the wine signs throughout the cellar using your Witcher Senses to help narrow it down.
Important bug note: When you examine the wine barrel signs using Witcher Senses, the interaction label may disappear. If this happens, turn off Witcher Senses and try interacting with the barrel directly.
Step 3: Knock on the Barrels
Knock on each barrel to check if they are full or hollow. All of them will sound full. This means you need to go further and do a taste test.
Step 4: Find the Barrel Tap and Wooden Hammer
To taste the wine, you need two items:
- Barrel Tap
- Tapping Hammer (Wooden Hammer)
Both of these items are on the lower floor in the west section of the cellar. The tapping hammer is on the floor, and the barrel tap is inside a crate nearby. Grab both.
Note: Even though there are many hammers and taps scattered around the cellar, the game only lets you pick up one of each. Once you loot one, all others of that type disappear.
Step 5: Tap the Barrels for the Duchess
Head back upstairs and interact with any two Sangreal 1269 barrels to tap them. The Duchess will taste each one. After the second barrel, she will spit it out and declare that it is “revolting, bitter plonk” — clearly not real Sangreal. This earns you 600 XP.
The wine has been swapped. This is the proof you needed.
Confront Fabricio
Go back up to the surface and confront Fabricio. Under pressure, he admits the truth. He has been selling barrels of Sangreal 1269 to a Cintrian nobleman. He even has another barrel ready for delivery.
The Duchess charges Fabricio with high treason and has him sent to the dungeons. Geralt and Damien then decide to use the second barrel as bait and set up an ambush.
The Ambush at Fort Astre Ruins
Head to Fort Astre Ruins with the barrel of wine as bait. Damien and his ducal guards will position themselves nearby.
The plan mostly works. A group of level 42 bandits arrives, led by their captain Hornitz. A big fight starts.
You have the support of ducal guards, but don’t rely on them to carry the fight.
Combat tips for the bandit ambush:
- Apply Hanged Man’s Venom to your Steel Sword for bonus damage to human enemies.
- Use Aard to knock multiple bandits down at once.
- Throw Grapeshot Bombs into groups to deal area damage quickly.
- Watch out for the red explosive barrels around the ruins. You can ignite them with Igni to take out clusters of enemies.
- Deal with archers and crossbowmen first. They can chip away at your health while you are dealing with melee fighters.
Once all the bandits are dead, defeating them earns you 1,500 XP.
Keep one bandit alive for questioning. Speak to the lone survivor. He reveals that his group was hired by a man only known as “The Cintrian” — who was not present at the ambush. The real target escaped.
Tip: If you choose to meet the Duchess later rather than heading to the guard post immediately, you can loot all the bandit bodies and also pick up 500 florens from the cart nearby.
Meet Anna Henrietta at the Ducal Guard Post
Head to the Ducal Guard Post in the port district and meet with Anna Henrietta. You can go immediately or take your time — the quest won’t move forward without you going there.
Damien arrives late but brings information. After some back and forth, Geralt and the Duchess decide to sneak into the next Mandragora party to find the mysterious Cintrian. This ends the Wine is Sacred quest and leads directly into The Man from Cintra.
Important Notes and Tips
- All the major events in this quest — the ride to the vineyard, the cellar investigation, the ambush, and the guard post meeting — are set to happen at night. The game skips time to 9pm for each section. More than two full in-game days pass even if you choose to proceed immediately each time.
- Two unique books can be found in Castel Ravello’s cellar: The History of Est Est and A Short History of Pomino. Neither is required for any quest, but they are nice collectibles.
- Another book, Case: One-Armed Adalard, appears at the Ducal Guard Post after the quest is complete.
- There are no dialogue choices in this quest that change the outcome. Feel free to say whatever feels right.
- Your level should be at or above 42 before starting. If you are below that, consider grinding some XP first. Check our level up guide for the fastest XP sources.
- If you need to top up your coin before heading out, our crown farming guide has you covered.
Wine is Sacred Quest Rewards
- 450 XP – For killing the panthers (optional)
- 600 XP – For exposing the fake wine in the cellar
- 1,500 XP – For defeating the bandits at Fort Astre Ruins
- 500 Florens – From the cart at Fort Astre (if you loot before leaving)
What to Do Before and After Wine is Sacred
Before you start this quest, make sure your gear is in good shape. Weapons and armor degrade over time in Toussaint, so check our guide on how to repair weapons and armor if needed.
If you want to be as strong as possible for the combat sections, look at our best builds guide and skill tree guide. Getting the right skills for level 42 combat makes a big difference.
After the quest ends, the story moves into The Man from Cintra. If you want a full picture of how all the Blood and Wine quests connect, see our complete main quest list.
If you are also working through Gwent at the same time, check out our guides on how to get every Gwent card and the missable Gwent cards so you don’t fall behind.
Want to know how long the full game and DLC will take you? Our how long to beat guide has a full breakdown.
For a look at what else is new in the Remastered version, see the official Nintendo Switch 2 page for The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Remastered.
Frequently Asked Questions
What level should I be for Wine is Sacred?
The suggested level is 42. The panthers and the bandits are both level 42 enemies. Being at or above this level makes the fights manageable. Going in below level 38 will make combat significantly harder.
Do my choices matter in Wine is Sacred?
No. This is one of the few Blood and Wine quests where your dialogue choices do not change the outcome. Every conversation path leads to the same result. Say whatever feels right for your Geralt.
Where is the Tapping Hammer and Barrel Tap in the wine cellar?
Both are on the lower west section of the cellar. The wooden hammer is on the floor and the barrel tap is in a crate. You can only loot one of each — once you pick one up, the rest vanish.
Where are the Sangreal 1269 barrels?
Head upstairs using the middle staircase in the cellar. Cross the bridge and go to the far south-east corner. The Sangreal 1269 barrels are there.
Should I kill the panthers or skip them?
It is worth killing them for the 450 XP. The fight is not difficult at level 42 with Beast Oil on your sword. Skipping them just means Anna and Damien will say something a bit unflattering when you meet them at the vineyard — but nothing else changes.
Can I loot the bandits at Fort Astre Ruins?
Yes. If you choose to meet the Duchess at the guard post later rather than heading there immediately, you have time to loot all the bandit bodies and collect 500 florens from the cart. Always worth doing.
What comes after Wine is Sacred?
The next main quest is The Man from Cintra. You and the Duchess will go undercover at a Mandragora party to find the mysterious Cintrian nobleman.
Can I fail Wine is Sacred?
Not really. The quest has no fail state in the traditional sense. Even if you abandon Anna Henrietta and Damien during the escort, you can still meet them at the vineyard and continue. The quest is very forgiving.
