Tristana swirled her crystal glass, sending the golden wine slowly circling inside it.
It left pronounced legs on the glass, the thick liquid clinging to its sides like melted honey.
The priestess studied those trails for a few seconds, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
That was the mark of a fine wine. Only something like this deserved to be enjoyed by her.
She took a sip of the golden wine, lingering against the rim before closing her eyes to savor it.
"Mmm, thick and silky on the palate. A hint of acidity-not strong, but very clean. Very sweet..."
Renato poured himself a glass as well. The golden liquid rippled inside it, carrying a subtle, complex fruit aroma.
He raised his glass and took a hearty gulp. The wine slid down his throat, warm and smooth, without the sting and burn of stronger spirits.
Unlike Tristana, Renato could not pick out all those layers and nuances. He simply thought the wine was quite sweet and went down smoothly.
Besides the notes of spice, it also tasted of orange marmalade. Quite good.
Humans were far better at winemaking than the Drow. Even the expensive Bloodwine valued as highly as magical potions always tasted rusty to Renato, making it extremely unpleasant to drink.
To Renato, the aged underground vintages the Drow took such pride in were inferior even to Brekka Town's light beer. At least the latter was merely sour, without all those strange flavors.
Curious, the priestess picked up the bottle. An exquisite print adorned the glass, with gilded lettering at the neck identifying its vintage and place of origin.
"Such a young wine, yet its flavor is so distinctive?" Tristana tapped her purple nails against the bottle with clear little clinks, marveling, "It seems the people of the Surface