How to Buy Your Wines

Each pack tells you exactly what to buy. Here's how to find it.

Every pack describes specific wine styles (e.g. 'Loire Sauvignon Blanc (dry) — e.g. Touraine/Sancerre style'). This guide helps you translate these descriptions into bottles at the store.

Reading Your Pack Description

Example: Wine A: Loire Sauvignon Blanc (dry) — e.g. Touraine/Sancerre style

What does this mean?

• Loire = Region (France, Loire valley)

• Sauvignon Blanc = Grape variety (must be on label)

• (dry) = Not sweet (check for 'sec' or 'trocken' on label)

• Touraine/Sancerre style = Specific appellations to look for

What to look for in the store:

✓ Label with 'Loire', 'Touraine' OR 'Sancerre'

✓ Grape: 'Sauvignon Blanc'

✓ Style: 'Sec' (dry)

The Three Golden Rules

Follow the Pack Description Exactly

Each pack describes Wine A and Wine B with specific regions and styles. Use these descriptions as your shopping list. Example: 'Rioja Crianza' means literally a bottle with 'Rioja' AND 'Crianza' on the label.

Similar Price Range (max 30% difference)

If Wine A costs €12, choose Wine B between €9-15. Large price differences make comparison unfair. Most packs work perfectly with bottles of €8-18 each.

Buy Fresh & Unopened

Buy two unopened bottles. Check vintage year: preferably the same year, max 2 years difference. Store at the right temperature until the game.

Where to Find These Wines

Supermarkets (€7-14 per bottle)

Netherlands: Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Plus (good selection of European wines)

Belgium: Delhaize, Carrefour, Colruyt

France: Carrefour, Auchan, Leclerc (best place for French wines!)

Germany: Rewe, Edeka, Kaufland (excellent for German Riesling/Spätburgunder)

Tip: Supermarkets often have region labels on shelves that help with searching.

Wine Shops (€12-25 per bottle)

Netherlands: Gall & Gall, Mitra, De Wijnbeurs, local wine specialists

Belgium: Delhaize Wine World, local cavistes

Advantage: Staff can help! Show them your pack description.

Script for in-store: 'I'm looking for a Loire Sauvignon Blanc, Touraine or Sancerre style, dry. Do you have that?'

Online (€8-30+ per bottle)

Vivino, Wine.com (US), Vinatis (FR), Wijnvoordeel (NL)

✓ Advantage: Search filters make it easy to find exact styles

✗ Disadvantage: Shipping costs, waiting time

Price Guide per Pack Difficulty

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5 Difficulty)

Budget: €15-25 total (€7-12 per bottle)

Comfort: €25-35 total (€12-18 per bottle)

Examples: Sauvignon Duel, Tempranillo Duel, Sangiovese Duel

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Difficulty)

Budget: €20-30 total (€10-15 per bottle)

Comfort: €30-50 total (€15-25 per bottle)

Examples: Pinot Precision, Crémant Duel, Riesling Duel

Important: Higher difficulty does NOT mean more expensive wines! It's about subtler differences, not price.

Common Challenges & Solutions

❓ I can't find the exact region

✅ Look for a similar style. For example: No Sancerre? Try Pouilly-Fumé or Touraine Sauvignon Blanc. No Chianti Classico? Chianti Riserva works too.

❓ The prices differ too much

✅ Choose a slightly cheaper version of the expensive wine, or a slightly better version of the cheaper one.

❓ I don't know which year to choose

✅ Choose the most recent year available for both wines (2021, 2022, 2023).

❓ The staff doesn't understand me

✅ Show them the pack description on your phone (screenshot from /packs page).

Serving Temperature (Critical!)

Wrong temperature = wrong taste. Follow this guide:

🍾 Sparkling (Crémant): 6-8°C → 60 min in fridge

🥂 White wines: 8-12°C → 30-45 min in fridge

🍷 Light reds (Pinot): 12-14°C → 15-20 min in fridge

🍷 Medium reds (Sangiovese, Tempranillo): 14-16°C → Room temp or 10 min chill

Tip: Too cold is better than too warm. You can always warm up by holding the glass in your hands.

Final Checklist Before You Buy

Do you have the pack description at hand? (screenshot or phone)

Are both wines unopened?

Are the prices within 30% of each other?

Have you found the right regions and grapes?

Do you know the serving temperature?