Wine Cellar

Wine Cellar

Card Game
Players
1-8
Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
5 players
Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
20 min
AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
10+
ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
1.7 / 5
Year
2025

About the game

Wine Cellar is a two-to-eight player auction and hand-management game in which rival sommeliers compete to build the best wine cellar for their client. Across eight rounds, players bid on and collect bottles, then arrange them into a timeline representing the order in which the wines will be consumed. Where a bottle lands in that timeline changes its value, so smart sequencing matters as much as the auctions themselves. Points also come from matching your client's preferences for wine type and country of origin. It's a quick, elegant game about balancing bidding, collection, and clever arrangement in under twenty minutes.

Hobbli's Notes

Wine Cellar packs a surprising amount of decision-making into a short playtime; the auction phase and the timeline-arranging puzzle both matter, so there's more here than a simple bidding game. Vincent Dutrait's artwork gives it an elegant, sophisticated table presence that fits its wine theme perfectly. As a brand-new release, we haven't seen how it holds up across many plays yet, but the fundamentals look solid.

What we like

  • Combines auction and sequencing decisions in a short playtime.
  • Elegant Vincent Dutrait artwork suits the wine theme well.
  • Scales to a large player count of up to eight.
  • Client-preference scoring adds a satisfying puzzle layer.

Keep in mind

  • As a new release, its long-term replay value is untested.
  • Auction-heavy design may not appeal to players who dislike bidding.
  • Thin theme beyond the wine-collecting premise.

Who it's for

Good for casual-to-mid-weight gamers ages 10+ who enjoy bidding and set-collection games, in groups of up to 8.

Mechanics

Auction / BiddingHand Management

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