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  Frequently Asked Questions
Some common questions answered...
 Can I play the Quaffers® board game if I am a novice and don't know that much about wine?
 Yes. As long as you drink wine and would like to learn a little more about it then you can play the game.
How many players can play the Quaffers® board game?
It is best played with 4-6 adults, but can be played with more people if played in teams or in pairs.
What is needed before we can start playing?
Each player must bring a bottle, or half bottle of wine with them. This should be kept hidden from the other players by placing the bottle in one of the special Quaffers® drawstring bags included in the game box. You will also need a corkscrew, wine glasses (preferably tasting glasses) and some pens or pencils.
What is a good tasting glass?
ISO standard tasting glasses are widely available from supermarkets and off licences which we would recommend as the best glasses to use. These cost about £1.99 each. Failing that, any glass that is clear, plain (rather than cut glass) and has a slightly narrower rim than its base will work very well. What is important is that you can easily see the colour of the wine, and if the rim is narrower than the base, the aromas from the wine will be funnelled into your nostrils more efficiently as you swirl the liquid around the glass.
Do I need to bring a specific bottle of wine in order to play the game?
No. Each player may bring any bottle of wine. The important thing is to know what grape or blend of grapes the wine has been made from and the other details that your fellow players will have to guess during the game. These details are country, vintage (year it was made), and alcohol percentage. All of these should be on the wine's label. In addition you must remember how much the wine cost as the other players will also guess this.
If you later choose to play with the country-specific sets of cards, you may want to ask each player to bring a bottle of wine from that country and theme the evening.
Why is it important to try and guess the price of a wine?
In very general terms quality will often dictate price. (Well-made wine will have incurred a lot of expense along the way.) Thus if you discern good quality, well-made wine during your blind taste, you will also have to decide where it is on the price scale. The exercise also allows everyone to make a judgement about the wine's value. For example a wine that tastes delicious but costs £15 may not represent great value compared with one that is almost as good but only costs £4.99.
What happens if one player is an expert? Surely he will win.
No this is not true. While an expert may be able to answer correctly many of the 'Experience' questions about wine and be good at tasting, there are many elements of strategy and luck within the game to foil even the most experienced wine drinkers. If you are still unsure, you could also buy the advanced set of questions and make the expert answer from that pack of cards while the rest of you use the standard set.
What happens if somebody brings a wine that is so obscure we cannot guess it?
If a player can correctly answer a level 2 'Experience' question, one of the reward options is the ability to choose another player (whose wine he has not yet guessed correctly in any category) and demand that one category of his wine is revealed. Thus an obscure wine can be revealed bit by bit even if you come unstuck in the tasting.
What is permitted if I throw a six with the dice?
Throwing a six means either:
You can move six squares round the board
You can taste another player's wine free of charge, or
You can go to market, provided you have bottled your wine.
When can I first bottle my wine?
A player can convert his barrels into bottles once he lands on, or passes, the 'Bottling Permitted' square. Once the square has been passed during the first circuit of the board, the player can bottle his yield at any time after that throughout the game.
I find that trying to identify the grape variety in the blind tasting is too difficult. What do you suggest?
Identifying the grape variety will become easier with practice as you begin to make associations between smells and tastes of various grapes. If you register with us, you will receive a taste chart, which includes all the major black and white grape varieties and their common aromas and flavours. This should be of great help. In the meantime, if it is too difficult, why not agree with the other players before you start the game that you will not guess the grape category of each other's wines. Instead, each of you should display the grape variety on the appropriate line on the wine card in front of you. When you taste each other's wines try and make a mental note and discuss the various characteristics of each of the wines. Jot these down and try and remember them for next time.
What happens if I never (or rarely) land on a 'Taste or Bid' square and cannot taste other players' wines?
What bad luck! If this happens you can do one of several things. Either pay for a taste of another player's wine (2000 coffers into the bank), or throw a six and have a free taste of another player's wine, or answer correctly a level 1 'Experience' question card and choose a free taste as your reward.
I find the 'Experience' questions too easy. What should I do?
We have produced a whole series of question cards. If you register with us you will get the next set of question cards free. These are harder than the standard set that come with the game. In addition you can purchase an advanced set or the country-specific sets, all of which contain harder questions.
When we play the Quaffers® board game, we sometimes find that we only travel round the board a couple of times. Is this normal?
The number of circuits of the board in any game varies tremendously. It does not matter. What matters is that you, as players, have an opportunity to taste wines, answer questions and have a laugh experiencing life as a vineyard owner.
Can you remind me what the 'Q' markers are for?
Each player has 5 'Q' markers. These are given to other players when they correctly guess a category of your wine. The 'Q' marker is then slipped on to that player's playing piece. For example, if you correctly guess that my wine comes from France I will give you a 'Q' marker to place on your playing piece. This will remind you that if my vineyard comes up for sale, you will be entitled to try and buy it. (Guessing a category correctly entitles you to bid for a vineyard when it eventually comes up for sale.) Your aim, therefore, should be to try and collect a 'Q' marker from every other player to maximise your opportunity of winning the game, since to win you need to buy two other vineyards.
Can I drink another wine while I am playing?
Yes. Often players agree to have a 'house wine' on the go while playing the game. This is so that nobody goes thirsty while waiting to taste their opponents' wines.
I never seem to land on the 'Go to Market' square. Are there any other ways to sell my wine?
Yes. If you fail to land on an appropriate square you can go to market and sell your wine by either:
Throwing a six,
Paying 1000 coffers into the Bank and forfeiting your throw of the dice,
Picking up a 'Go to Market' card from the 'Encounter' card pile, or
Choosing to go to market as a reward for answering correctly a level 2 'Experience' question card.
Can you tell me what I do with the black 'building' playing pieces?
The six black building pieces are bottling facilities. (There is one piece available for each player.) As a vineyard owner you can choose to buy a bottling facility to halve your bottling costs and to increase the value of your vineyard. The cost of a bottling facility is 10,000 coffers so it is unlikely that you will buy one until you have made some money from your wine.
Should I have a separate glass for each wine to be tasted?
If you want to do things really properly, then yes you should have a separate glass. Glasses can be rinsed with water between tasting different wines and players should drink this water to cleanse their palate as well. In practical terms, however, it can get very crowded round the playing table if everybody has six glasses in front of them in addition to all the playing pieces. One glass is adequate in our opinion.
What happens if a player lands on a square that is already occupied by another player?
Each player follows the stated instructions on that square, as if there was no other player sharing the space. The exception is the 'Go to Market' square. Only the first person to land on this square may go to market (provided he has bottled his wine). If a second or third player lands here while it is still occupied then they cannot go to market. Instead they must pay 500 coffers into the Bank in lost opportunity.
Can I get more blank wine cards if I run out?
Yes. Simply send us your used, completed cards and we will send you a new set free of charge. Our mailing address can be found on the contact us page.
 We hope you found these helpful!
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