The Year and the Quadrel
How a Vinhos year runs: start of the year, two actions on the Quadrel with their movement costs, turn order, Maintenance, Production and the Fair years.
The game lasts 6 years. Each year has the same phases, tracked by the Year/Taxation marker on the Year track. This page covers the flow; the actions themselves are on The Actions, the wine maths on Wine and the Fair on Press Release and the Fair.
Overview of a year
| Phase | What happens | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Start of the year | Turn a new Vintage tile (not in year 1). Before years 4 and 6,  flip used tiles face up | Start of the year |
 First action | Everyone, in turn order, moves on the Quadrel and takes one action | Actions phase |
 Second action | Same again, in the possibly changed order | Turn order |
 Maintenance | Take one of your barrels back from the Sales area | Maintenance |
 Production | Wines age one slot; each Estate with a Vineyard produces one wine | Production |
 Fair (years 3, 5, 6) | Rank by Fair Points, score VP, buy Magnate tiles | The Wine Tasting Fair |
So you take only 12 actions in the whole game, plus one more after the last Fair — and whatever your Wine Experts and Magnate Action tiles add.
Start of the year
Skip this phase in year 1: its Vintage tile was turned up during setup. In every other year:
- Discard last year’s Vintage tile and turn up the next one. Its number, +2 to −2, is this year’s weather: it changes every Estate’s Wine Quality at Production. The tile also shows what the three Magnates want this year and which wine features score at a Press Release.
- Before years 4 and 6 only (the symbol on the Year track), every player flips all their
face-down Wine Experts and Magnate Action tiles face up again.
Actions phase
Each year you take two actions. Put the Year/Taxation marker on space “1” of the current year; then, in the order of the Player Order area, each player moves their Action Marker to another space of the Quadrel and takes that space’s action. When everyone has acted, apply any turn-order changes, move the marker to space “2” and do it again.
| Space | Action | Rules |
|---|---|---|
 Vineyards (two spaces) | Buy 1 or 2 Vineyards from different regions | Vineyards |
 Wineries | Build 1 or 2 Wineries, 3 Bagos each | Wineries |
 Enologists / Farmers | Hire 1 or 2 workers: Enologist 3, Farmer 2 | Enologists and Farmers |
 Cellars | Build 1 or 2 Cellars, 3 Bagos each | Cellars |
 Sales | Sell 1 or 2 wines for Bagos | Sales |
 Export | Export 1 or 2 wines for VP | Export |
 Wine Experts | Hire 1 or 2 Wine Experts, 1 Bago each | Wine Experts |
 Pass / Press Release (centre) | Change turn order, then pass or enter a wine in the next Fair | Press Release |
Movement on the Quadrel
Movement costs
Every move is paid before the action, in Bagos:
| Situation | Cost |
|---|---|
| Move to an adjacent space (orthogonal or diagonal) | Free |
| Move to a non-adjacent space | 1 Bago to the supply |
| The Year/Taxation marker is on the destination | 1 Bago to the supply |
| Each other player’s Action Marker on the destination | 1 Bago to that player |
If you cannot pay for the move and pay for and perform the action, you cannot go to that space.
Exceptions
- Moving to Pass / Press Release is always free, even with other markers there.
- If you are already on Pass / Press Release and no other action is possible for you, you may stay there instead of moving (FAQ).
- Every space touches the centre, so leaving it is never a distance move — but other players and the tax on the destination still cost you.
Turn order
The Player Order area has two rows. When you go to Pass / Press Release you move your Player Order marker from the top row to any empty slot of the bottom row. Nothing changes yet; after everyone has acted, the order updates for the next action, so in a 2-player game the first player can go twice in a row. FAQ, FAQ, FAQ.
After all players have taken the current action, each marker in the bottom row moves up to the same slot of the top row, and the markers still on top shift left or right to make room. The new order applies to the next action (or, after the second action, to the Fair). After a Fair the order is reset by the Fair booths.
Experts and Magnate tiles in your turn
On each of your turns in the Actions phase you may also use:
- one face-up Wine Expert’s ability — flip it face down (Wine Expert abilities);
- one face-up
Magnate Action tile — flip it face down; it is a whole extra action,
taken before you move or before or after your action, never in the middle of it
(Magnate Action tiles).
Neither can be used during Maintenance, Production or the Fair.
Maintenance
Put the Year/Taxation marker on the B space. Each player who has barrels in the Sales area must take exactly one of them back to their supply (their choice which).
Production
Put the marker on the Production space. Wines age one slot, you may move your Enologists and Farmers, and each Estate with a Vineyard produces one wine — see Production. In years 1, 2 and 4 the year then ends.
Fair years
In years 3, 5 and 6 a Wine Tasting Fair follows Production. After the third Fair, everyone takes one more action and the game ends; it is a normal turn with no new Vintage or Press Release (FAQ).
Open information and limits
- Nothing is hidden: money, wines, Experts and tiles are always visible.
- Every component is limited to what the board holds, except Bagos (keep a note if the bank runs out) and Wine tiles (stack two tiles that add up to the value you need).