A Fresh Start

Mary is having a hard time in her life. She's working a dead end job that she gets no satisfaction out of and her grandfather just passed away. She knows she needs to do something with her life but she just doesn't know what. Fortunately, a letter from her late grandfather contains some hope.

In his letter, her grandpa urges her to move back to Italy and work at their family vineyard with her Uncle Giuseppe. There, Giuseppe can introduce her to the members of the Guild of Extraordinary Winemakers, of which her grandpa was the leader.

The Guild members are the keepers of the recipe for Vino Ultimae, the most glorious wine in the world. The recipe has been torn into pieces and distributed to the members. It's up to Mary to get those pieces and get her life back on track.

Now, off to Italy to see your old Uncle Giuseppe!

The Business of Wine

In Winemaker Extraordinare, you'll do much more than just make wine. You're in charge of the entire operation and the actual production is only one of your many responsibilities. You'll also have to keep the supplies freshly stocked and handle all of the selling. Fortunately, while there is a lot to learn, Giuseppe will take you through all of it.

You'll even get to design a label for your wine, as well as come up with a new name. Like I said, you have many responsibilities!

Your Stock

To make a certain blend, you need to make sure you have the ingredients in stock. You'll need to go to the local supplier to purchase the correct bottles, grapes, and whatever else you'll need. Not everything can be purchased in every town, however. You start in Italy, but if you need to make Merlot, you'll need to travel somewhere else to purchase the proper grapes.

Wine Salesman

If you don't have a Guild member willing to purchase your wine, you'll need to sell it to the cellar. Different towns will pay different prices, so it's a good idea to do some research. For example, Austria will pay more for Cabernet Sauvignon than Italy will. While you have to pay transportation fees when you travel, you'll more than make up for it when you offload a lot of product.

Squishing Grapes

At the beginning of the game, you can produce five cases per day, but you can easily up your production by playing a grape-squishing mini-game. Giuseppe will walk you through the simple rules of this fun little activity.

Extraordinary Winemaking

Winemaker Extraordinaire is a business sim and as good as they come. I got a kick out of trying to shape my once-defunct company into a thriving empire. Even if you're not a big fan of this genre and prefer puzzle games, you'll have a blast squishing grapes. On top of all this, the feeling of Europe is a feeling of magic and wonder, and the game has captured that beautifully with lovely visuals and music. This is an experience you won't forget any time soon.