How to Play Viticulture Essential Edition

Objective of the Game

Welcome to the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany, future vintners! In Viticulture Essential Edition, your goal is to build the most successful winery in the region. You'll be planting vines, harvesting grapes, making delicious wines, and fulfilling orders to earn victory points. The first player to reach at least 20 Victory Points (VP) at the end of a year triggers the end of the game, and the player with the most points wins!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get your vineyard ready for a bountiful season! Here's how to set up your game:

1. Each player chooses a color and takes all the corresponding pieces: your workers, your special grande worker, your rooster, a cork, and a wine bottle.
2. Place your rooster above the wake-up chart (you'll use this in the Spring!).
3. Place your cork on the "0" space of the VP track.
4. Place your wine bottle in the middle of the Residual Payment Tracker.
5. Each player receives a vineyard mat and 3 field cards (labeled 5, 6, and 7). Place these field side up on your vineyard mat.
6. Shuffle the 4 decks of small cards (Vine, Wine Order, Summer Visitor, Winter Visitor) and place them on their designated spots on the game board.
7. Determine the start player for the first round and give them the 1st player token.
8. Shuffle the Mamas & Papas cards. Deal 2 of each (Mama and Papa) to each player. Each player chooses 1 Mama and 1 Papa card to keep, returning the others to the box.
9. Starting with the 1st player and going clockwise, each player collects the workers, cards, structures, and money ($) indicated on their chosen Mama & Papa cards.

Now you're ready to start your winemaking journey!

Game Play

A year in Viticulture is divided into four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, followed by a Year End phase. You'll cycle through these until a player reaches 20 VP.

Spring

The 1st player starts, and then in clockwise order, each player places their rooster on a numbered space on the wake-up chart. You immediately gain any bonus indicated on that space (if there is one). This determines player order for the rest of the year!

Summer

Starting with the player whose rooster is highest on the wake-up chart, and continuing in that order, players take turns placing 1 worker on an available yellow summer action space and taking the action. Some spots have a limited number of spaces based on the number of players, and some include a bonus. If you can't or don't want to take an action, you can pass by sliding your rooster to the right. Play continues clockwise until all players have passed. Remember, your grande worker is special and can be placed on an action space even if all other spots are taken!

Here are the Summer Actions you can take:

• Gain $1: Place a worker at the cart at the bottom of the board.
• Play Summer Visitor Card: Place a worker at the visitor center. You can play 1 summer visitor card. (Bonus: play 2 cards).
• Draw Vine Card: Place a worker at the Mercado. You can draw 1 vine card. (Bonus: draw 2 cards).
• Give a Tour: Place a worker on the path. Gain $2. (Bonus: gain $1).
• Build a Structure: Place a worker at the construction site. You can build 1 structure (e.g., Trellis, Irrigation, Windmill, Yoke, Tasting Room, Cellar, Cottage) and place it on your vineyard mat. You can only have 1 of each type of structure. (Bonus: gain $1).
  • Trellis and Irrigation: Required to plant certain types of vines.
  • Windmill: After building, collect +1 VP when planting a vine (max once per year).
  • Yoke: Can be used once per season. Place a worker on the yoke to uproot 1 vine card back to your hand or harvest 1 field (even in summer!).
  • Tasting Room: Collect 1 VP when placing a worker on the vineyard tour action if there is 1+ wine in your cellar.
  • Cellars: Medium, then large cellars allow storage of higher value wines & blush, also sparkling wine in a large cellar.
  • Cottage: Draw a visitor card of your choice at the beginning of the Fall season (same or different type as a card already drawn in Fall).
• Plant Vines: Place a worker in a field. You can plant 1 vine card on an empty field or stack it on an existing vine. (Bonus: plant 2 vines).
• Sell Grapes: Place a worker at the stand. You can sell 1 or more grape tokens for the price shown between the crush pads. (Bonus: gain $1).
• Use Yoke: If you own the Yoke, place a worker there to uproot 1 vine card (back to hand) or harvest 1 field.

Fall

In wake-up chart order, each player draws either a summer or winter visitor card.

Winter

In wake-up chart order, players take turns placing 1 worker on an available blue winter action space and taking the action. Continue play until all workers have been placed. If you pass, slide your rooster to the left.

Here are the Winter Actions you can take:

• Gain $1: Place a worker at the cart at the bottom of the board.
• Draw Wine Order Card: Place a worker at the upper left building. You can draw a wine order card. (Bonus: draw another wine order card).
• Harvest Field: Place a worker in a field. Add the red icons in a field to create 1 red grape token, and do the same for white grapes. Place these grape tokens on the proper value on your crush pad. (Bonus: harvest 2 fields).
• Train Worker: Place a worker at the training center and pay $4 to train a new worker for next year. (Bonus: gain $1). You can have a maximum of 5 regular workers + 1 Grande worker.
• Play Winter Visitor Card: Place a worker at the visitor center. You can play 1 winter visitor card. (Bonus: play 2 cards).
• Make Wine: Place a worker at the crush pads. You must upgrade your cellar to make blush, sparkling, or high-value red & white wines. Move grape tokens from your crush pad to your cellar. 1 red grape + 1 white grape = 1 blush wine. 2 red grapes + 1 white grape = 1 sparkling wine. (Bonus: make 1 extra wine token).
• Fill Order: Place a worker by the boat. You can fill 1 wine order card. The purple order card shows the minimum wines needed – discard the required wine tokens from your cellar to fill the order. Gain the indicated VP and move your residual payment token the number of $ indicated on the purple order card. (Bonus: gain $1).
• Use Yoke: If you own the Yoke, place a worker there to uproot 1 vine card (back to hand) or harvest 1 field.

Year End

Time to wrap up the year and prepare for the next! In this phase:

• Age grape & wine tokens: Move all your grape and wine tokens one space to the right on your crush pad and cellar to increase their value.
• Return workers: All your workers return to your vineyard mats.
• Collect residual payments: Collect money equal to the current position of your residual payment token on the tracker.
• Discard cards: Discard down to a maximum of 7 cards in your hand.
• Rotate 1st player token: The 1st player token rotates one player counter-clockwise.

End Game & Scoring

The game ends at the end of the current year when any player reaches 20 or more Victory Points (VP). The player with the most Victory Points at this point is declared the winner and the master vintner of Tuscany!

Tips for Winning

Starting your winery can be daunting, but these tips will help you cultivate success:

1. Prioritize Income Early: Don't be afraid to take the "$1" action or give tours in the early game. Money is crucial for building structures and training workers, which are the backbone of a productive winery.
2. Strategic Structure Building: Consider which structures will benefit your strategy most. A Yoke can offer crucial flexibility for harvesting or clearing fields, while a Tasting Room can provide consistent VP if you plan on giving many tours. Upgrading your Cellars is essential for making higher-value wines and fulfilling more complex orders.
3. Balance Planting and Harvesting: You need vines to harvest grapes, and grapes to make wine! Don't get too focused on just one step. Ensure you have a good mix of red and white vines planted and remember to harvest your fields regularly to keep your crush pads full.