What Wine is Worth Aging in Stardew Valley? The Ultimate Guide
The simple answer to the question of what wine is worth aging in Stardew Valley is: Starfruit Wine. While many fruits can be transformed into wine and further aged in casks for enhanced profit, Starfruit Wine stands out as the most lucrative option due to its exceptionally high base value. However, understanding the nuances of wine aging in the game can help you optimize your profits. Let’s delve deeper into this topic and address some common questions.
The Profitability of Wine Aging
Why Age Wine?
In Stardew Valley, aging wine in casks elevates its quality, increasing its selling price. You can age wine from normal quality to silver, then gold, and finally to iridium quality, which doubles the base sell price. This process, however, takes time. While not all wines are created equal, aging the right ones can significantly boost your farm’s income.
Which Wines Benefit Most?
The key factor is the base value of the fruit used to make the wine. As a general rule, the higher the base selling price of the fruit, the higher the profit of the aged wine. Starfruit and Ancient Fruit are the frontrunners in this regard. While Melon, Pineapple, Peach, and Pomegranate also make good wines, they don’t match the profitability of the top two when aged. This makes them often better sold as is, or transformed into jelly or juice.
Starfruit Wine: The Clear Winner
Starfruit Wine is widely regarded as the most profitable wine to age in Stardew Valley. Its high base value as a fruit makes it a fantastic option for wine creation, and when aged to iridium quality, its profit potential soars. Although it takes a significant amount of time to reach that point, the return is far greater than other wines.
The Aging Process
Aging wine isn’t immediate. It takes a considerable amount of in-game time to get a wine to iridium quality. Specifically, it takes two entire in-game seasons to fully age a wine. This slow process means that you need to be patient and plan carefully. For maximum efficiency, players should consider filling their cellar to capacity and then letting the casks do their work over those two seasons.
The Drawbacks of Aging
While aging wine offers considerable profits, the time investment can be significant. Players who want instant profits will find it more efficient to sell wines immediately instead of aging. Furthermore, Pale Ale is a higher return per day than any wine when comparing non-aged to non-aged, and its quick turnaround time makes it great for constant, if slightly less profitable, income. In the long run, however, a fully upgraded cellar filled with Starfruit Wine outpaces most other income generators.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best wine to make in Stardew Valley for profit?
Starfruit Wine is the most profitable wine in Stardew Valley because of the high base value of starfruit. It triples its base value when made into wine and can reach even greater value when aged.
2. Is it worth aging wine in Stardew Valley?
Yes, it is worth aging wine if you are looking to maximize your profits, especially Starfruit Wine. Aging to iridium quality doubles the base sell price of the wine.
3. How long does it take to age wine to iridium quality?
It takes two in-game seasons to age a wine to iridium quality in a cask.
4. What are the best fruits to use for aging wine, besides Starfruit?
While not as profitable as starfruit, Ancient Fruit, Melon, Pineapple, Peach, and Pomegranate are decent options for wine aging.
5. How many casks can you put in the cellar?
The standard cellar starts with enough room for 33 casks. Upgrades will eventually allow a player to fill 125 casks in their cellar.
6. Can you age other items besides wine in casks?
Yes, you can also age cheese and pale ale in casks. However, for maximum long term profitability, wine is king, especially Starfruit wine.
7. Is pale ale more profitable than wine?
In terms of initial returns, Pale Ale is more profitable than unaged wine. However, when aged to iridium quality, wine, particularly Starfruit Wine, surpasses Pale Ale in profitability.
8. Where can you get Starfruit seeds?
Starfruit seeds can be purchased from the Oasis shop in the desert.
9. Is Ancient Fruit a good alternative to Starfruit?
Ancient Fruit makes a very good wine, but its base fruit value is lower than Starfruit. The availability of Starfruit seeds also makes it a slightly more reliable option.
10. Is the cellar worth upgrading for wine aging?
Yes, upgrading the cellar is absolutely worth it, as it increases the number of casks you can have and thus the amount of aged wine you can produce.
11. How does quality of fruit affect wine quality?
The quality of fruit does not affect the base value or quality of wine.
12. How can I increase my production of Starfruit?
The most effective methods are to either acquire and use as many Starfruit seeds as possible or to utilize seed makers to increase your yields.
13. Are there any other drinks worth making besides wine or Pale Ale?
Coffee and Juice can provide valuable buffs that provide extra energy, speed or other useful benefits. However, for straight selling value, Wine and Pale Ale are best.
14. How does aging wine in casks compare to just selling it outright?
Selling wine immediately provides quick cash, but aging it in casks increases its value. The more time you’re willing to invest, the higher the selling price will be.
15. Does the time of year matter when aging wine?
No, the aging process in casks is the same regardless of the in-game season. The timer only ticks forward when the player sleeps to advance to a new day.
Conclusion
Ultimately, for those seeking maximum profitability from wine in Stardew Valley, aging Starfruit Wine to iridium quality in a fully upgraded cellar is the most effective strategy. While it requires time and planning, the long-term rewards make it a worthwhile endeavor for any serious Stardew Valley farmer. While other options exist, none match the sheer income potential of Starfruit wine when patiently aged.