Heavy Drinker

“So then, the batch made with the current method and left to sit for half a month is over here. Let’s go take a look.”

My winemaking experience had ended before I could even find any sense of fulfillment or enjoyment in it.

As I sulked from the anticlimax, Keep-san started walking off.

His indifference to my mood was… rather craftsman-like.

My spirits lifted just a little, and I followed after him.

He stopped in front of one of the barrels lined up in the cellar.

Looking closely, the date marked on it was indeed from half a month ago.

“Let’s try a taste of this one.”

With that, Keep-san cracked the barrel open and skillfully ladled out some wine.

Since it was made with ordinary grapes, its color was exactly the wine I knew.

On closer look, though, there were some lees floating inside.

“Go ahead, don’t hold back.”

Aira produced a small cup from who-knows-where, and he poured in the wine.

She took a small sip, just licking at it first.

“Mm, bitter… but sweeter than the wine I’ve heard about, maybe?”

“Yes, it has a sort of dessert wine feel to it.”

“—Yes, precisely so!”

As we exchanged casual impressions, Keep-san snorted with excitement.

He seemed really thrilled.

“There are many kinds of flavors, but I have never encountered such a sweet wine before. And normally, even for a light, sweet wine with low alcohol, winemaking requires at least two years of aging. Yet this was made in only half a month!”

“I see. So… it’s rare, and can be mass-produced?”

“Exactly. Rare, and produced many times faster than other wines.”

“That sounds like nothing but good news!”

Aira, giggling like a child, was already asking for seconds.

Her face was noticeably red.

Aira wasn’t particularly strong with alcohol, so from the looks of it, the wine must have been fairly potent.

“By the way, when brewed quickly with added yeast, it’s ready in half a month. Without yeast, natural fermentation takes a month.”

“Is this yeast something you can get enough of?”

“Yes, but adding it raises the alcohol content while lowering the flavor. Here, this is a wine fermented naturally over one month.”

From another barrel, he poured us the naturally fermented wine.

We filled another cup and sampled it (incidentally, the rest of my earlier portion had already disappeared into Aira’s stomach).

“Mmm, delicious… I think I could actually drink this one.”

“It’s so sweet… gulp gulp.”

“Hey, take it easy, alright?”

“I-I’m not weak enough to get plastered so easily… more, please!”

I stopped Aira, who was already tipsy, from drinking further, while I carefully tasted the wine myself.

It slid smoothly down my throat, without that burning sensation typical of strong drinks.

Even for someone like me, who didn’t understand the appeal of wine, it was sweet and easy to drink.

The alcohol content wasn’t all that high either.

In fact, it was probably lower than the batch with yeast.

So both sweet wines and stronger wines could be made.

Right now, it was only red, but Keep-san pounded his chest, confident that white wine could be made soon as well.

“But why does the alcohol finish so much faster than normal…?”

“Well… I’ve never heard of such fast fermentation anywhere else. I suspect the grapes themselves have something special.”

“In other words, Woody-sama, you are amazing!!”

“Yes, yes.”

“You are amazing!!”

“You don’t need to repeat it, even if it’s important.”

Apparently, wine made from my planted trees brewed faster than normal.

There might be other differences I hadn’t noticed yet.

Either way, it was a blessing to be able to make alcohol at many times the normal speed.

I would have to discuss with Ran and the others about which type would sell better, and make it into a proper trade good.

But before that…

“Woody-sama… sniffle Aira is sho happyyy~~!!”

Now I had to deal with the drunken, bawling Aira and somehow get her home.

So Aira turned out to be a crying drunk…