Author:Alasdair

Used with permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission.

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Celene and the Wild Coast

Although information on current vintages is hard to come by, Celene has a long history of winemaking. Unlike their cousins in Veluna and the Highfolk, the olve of Celene have focused most of their efforts on hauntingly pale red wines from unique grape varieties grown nowhere else on Oerth. Despite their best efforts with reds, the olve of Celene were most known for the barrels of the golden-green “emerald” wine that once flowed throughout the Flanaess.

The famous “emerald” wine of Celene, no longer seen in the taverns of the Flanaess, is a crisp, dry wine, best served chilled on a hot day. Faint aromas of summer linger on the palate and in the wine itself. Light, refreshing and far too easy to drink, this wine was traditionally made from the earliest grapes of the season, and in the past, has reached the market as early as mid-Richfest.

Sadly, as Celene retreated into itself, and the borders were, the emerald wine stopped flowing. Very little has been seen in the marketplace for years now, and other beverages have taken its place. One of the most popular white wines in the Flanaess is now little more than a memory for most folk.

Of the reds, all that can be said is that when available, they were an acquired taste. Most humans prefer their reds to be more robust, as typified by the wines from the Keoish coast, the Ulek states and Onnwall. Celene reds tend to be lighter in colour and have a correspondingly soft taste, along with an aroma politely described as “forest floor”. Less polite imbibers have described it as a barnyard aroma, and turn their noses up at the thought of a mug of Celene red. Even the olve themselves are divided in their opinions.

Having said that, those humans who have discovered a liking for the reds of Celene will not settle for anything else. Being an acquired taste, its converts are vocal in their praise, and will go to great lengths to find these wines. Bigby of Mitrik has a particular weakness for them, and maintains close contacts with some of the vintners of Celene, spending vast sums on barrels of their finest vintages. Or at least he did.

With the closing of the borders, the wines of Celene are almost impossible to find. A few barrels of Celene’s finest reds will occasionally turn up in Verbobonc, or in the City of Greyhawk. They are sold to those with the right connections, and enough money, and the supply is fickle. Otherwise, the only way to get these wines is through dealings with the olve of the Gnarley Forest. Surprisingly, (or not), Bigby still serves current vintages at his table, and refuses to explain how he gets them.

The Kron Hills hold some vineyards near the border with Celene, but the noniz here have never taken to the grape in the same way that their southern cousins in Ulek have. A few tend vines as a hobby, but most of the noniz in this region prefer beer or the berry wines made by the local hobniz. The olve of the Gnarley Forest can produce stunning wines when they want to, and more importantly, when nature cooperates. Their habit of using wild grapes means that the harvests are not only small, but unpredictable in quality.

The Wild Coast once had a small winemaking industry, and made pleasant, if unremarkable wines. Most of the vineyards were along the coast, and those few that survived the wars have been left untended. At the present time, only a handful small vineyards along the edge of the Gnarley Forest still produce wine. It is not exceptional in any way, and most of the wine is consumed in Greyhawk’s poorest districts, where it provides a temporary relief from the day-to-day grind for the poor of the city.