The Wizard of Wines

Wine was the lifeblood of the Barovian people. It was one of the only indulgences left to them. Without it, many Barovians would have lost their last shred of hope and succumbed to utter despair.
Although the Vistani often brought wine from distant lands, they shared it infrequently. Thus, most of Old Barovia's wine came from one source: the Wizard of Wines winery and vineyard.
The Wizard of Wines was founded by a mage whose name is buried in the annals of history. The wizard fashioned three magic gems, each one as big as a pinecone, and planted them in the rich valley soil. These "seeds" gave rise to healthy grapevines, which produced sweet, plump grapes. Even after Strahd's curse settled over Barovia, the gems kept the vines and their grapes from succumbing to the darkness.
Strahd bequeathed the winery and vineyard to the noble Krezkov family as a reward for the family's loyalty. Later, an arranged marriage between the Krezkovs and the Martikov family led to the land being taken over by a Martikov descendant. The winery and vineyard had been tended by the Martikovs ever since. At some point, the Martikov family became infected with widespread lycanthropy. The last patriarch, Davian Martikov, was a wereraven, as were his children and grandchildren.
The wereravens provided the wine to Barovian taverns for free, knowing the good it brought to the Barovian people.
The winery was known for three wines: the unremarkable Purple Grapemash No. 3, the slightly more tantalising Red Dragon Crush, and the rich Champagne du le Stomp. In 7998, one of the vineyard's magic gems was dug up and stolen, and as a result, the winery stopped producing its best vintage, the champagne. No one knows what happened to the gem. Davian Martikov blamed his middle son, Urwin, for the loss because Urwin was on watch the night the gem was taken. Davian was convinced that Urwin shirked his duty to spend time with his betrothed, and the two men had been at odds ever since. To this day, Urwin steadfastly denied his father's accusation.
Adding to Davian's misery, the wereravens had been fending off frequent attacks by Baba Lysaga's scarecrow constructs. Three weeks prior to Ace Ventura's entry to Barovia, during one such attack, another gem was found, dug up, and taken. Davian believed that it was in the possession of Baba Lysaga.
Davian's belief was correct. The gem was a lucky find for Baba Lysaga, who had previously suspected that magic was the root of the vineyard's health but knew nothing of its source. Even after this great discovery, Baba Lysaga continued to send her scarecrows against the winery, antagonising the wereravens like a bad neighbour.
Five days prior to Ace Ventura's adventure, evil druids stole the third and final gem and bore it to Yester Hill. The wereravens launched a counterattack on Yester Hill, hoping to get it back, but to no avail. The druids and their blights proved more than a match for the lycanthropes. Three days later, the druids returned with a horde of blights and drove Davian's family from the winery. They'd also poisoned the fermentation vats, leaving the winery with only a few bottles and barrels of drinkable wine.

Maps

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  Wizard of Wines

RUINED STRUCTURE
8008

Type

Brewery / Winery

Parent Location

Old Barovia