Overview
Wine is Sacred is a main quest in Blood and Wine, following Where Children Toil, Toys Waste Away. With the letters from Dettlaff’s workshop in hand, Geralt takes the case to Duchess Anna Henrietta.
The wine stain
At Beauclair Palace, with Damien de la Tour present, the duchess agrees they should try to free the woman who is being held hostage. The ducal sommelier examines a stain on one of the letters and identifies it at once: Sangreal from 1269, made only for the ducal family and only at Castel Ravello. Anna Henrietta insists on going herself, with Geralt and Damien as escort.
Castel Ravello
On the road, panthers attack a wagon. At the vineyard, the owner Fabricio is snobbish but answers questions, until the duchess loses patience and inspects the barrels herself. In the cellars, Geralt taps barrels for her to taste until she finds one that is clearly not Sangreal. Fabricio admits he sold some of the wine to a Cintrian aristocrat, and another barrel is waiting for the buyer.
The ambush
Geralt and Damien set a trap for the buyer’s men at the Fort Astre Ruins. With the Ducal Guard at his side, Geralt fights off a large band of thugs. Watch out for the exploding barrels. The only survivor knows the buyer simply as “the Cintrian”. At a Ducal Guard post, Damien brings news, and it is decided that Geralt and the duchess will slip into the next Mandragora party to find him. This leads to The Man from Cintra.