Quick answer
If the mercenaries suddenly demand 3 bottles of 3★ 
Wine, you do not need to grow perfect 3★ 
Grapes with Farming Mastery 16 or wait for 
Steel tools.
The easiest reliable route is:
- 1
- 2
upgrade it at the Kitchen Table with 
Spices → 2★ Wine;
- 3
upgrade 2★ Wine with 
Umami → 3★ Wine.
The quality upgrades only need Farming Mastery 4 for Spices and Farming Mastery 6 for Umami.
If you want direct production instead, 3★ Grapes become 3★ 
Grape Juice and then 3★ Wine without losing quality.
Why Gold Wine becomes such a nasty progression blocker
Mercenary prices rise after victories:
5 silver;
7.5 silver;
10 silver;
15 silver;
20 silver;
then 1 gold.
The Inflation quest chain lets you switch that payment to Wine.
Unfortunately, the final version becomes:
3 bottles of 3★ Wine per won battle.
This can create an ugly loop:
Steel is still behind later battles;
Farming Mastery is too low;
mercenaries no longer use the old payment route.
Fortunately, alchemy can upgrade already-made Wine.
The easy route: Spices → Umami
GK2 allows direct star upgrades on a few foods and drinks.
Wine is one of them.
1★ Wine → 2★ Wine
At the Kitchen Table:
1★ Wine + Spices
→ 2★ Wine
Requirement:
Farming Mastery 4
Technology:
Transmutation I
2★ Wine → 3★ Wine
At the Kitchen Table:
2★ Wine + Umami
→ 3★ Wine
Requirement:
Farming Mastery 6
Technology:
Alchemy, Advanced
That is far easier than meeting the highest Vineyard requirements directly.
How to get Spices
Spices use the alchemy formula:
2 + 
2
Research ingredients and combine rune values that reach exactly 2 green + 2 blue.
Once discovered, the result remains in the 
Folio.
For the full rune system, see Alchemy Guide.
How to get Umami
Umami is the advanced version:
4 + 4
It uses a three-ingredient alchemy setup.
One known combination is:
Alcohol + Ash + Pumpkin
But the actual rule is the rune total, so other combinations that reach 4 green + 4 blue also work.
Why this is easier than growing 3★ Grapes
Perfect starred Grapes have high Farming requirements:
1★ Grapes — Farming 12;
2★ — Farming 14;
3★ — Farming 16.
You can build toward those values with tools, rods, talents, 
Muffins, fertilizers and zombies.
But if you only need three bottles to continue combat progression, building a perfect Vineyard can be unnecessary.
The alchemy upgrade only asks for Farming 4 and 6 at the Kitchen Table.
How to make Wine
The Vineyard is west of your home across the broken bridge.
Drink production happens in its cellar.
The basic chain is:
- 1
- 2
- 3
First:
6 Grapes + Empty Bottle
→ Grape Juice
Then:
4 Grape Juice
→ 4 Wine
Star quality carries through.
1★ Grapes → 1★ Juice → 1★ Wine.
3★ Grapes → 3★ Juice → 3★ Wine.
How to open the Vineyard
Repair the bridge west of your house.
It needs:
If Polished Bronze is blocking the bridge, see How to Get Polished Bronze.
Where do Grape Seeds come from?
Starred 
Grape Seeds become available through progression and traders such as:
Brewery shops;
merchant seed orders.
You do not need 3★ seeds just to solve the mercenary payment problem.
Even 1★ Wine can be upgraded all the way to 3★.
How do you naturally upgrade Grape quality?
Starred crops improve through successful growth steps.
For 1★ and 2★ Grapes, the harvest begins producing the next star level from the 11th successful growth step.
Helpful systems include:
Farming Mastery while planting;
Vineyard Upgrade;
Farming Fertilizer;
Headstart;
Crop Boosting Fertilizer.
See Fertilizers and Crop Quality Explained.
Why didn't my 2★ Grapes become 3★?
The crop probably did not reach 11 successful steps.
Common causes:
planting failures;
trellis skill below the crop requirement;
weak or missing fertilizer;
no Vineyard upgrade.
Quality progression depends on successful steps in that harvest.
Muffins are an easy Farming boost
A Muffin gives temporary:
Farming +2
Use it before difficult planting or starred crafting when you are just below the requirement.
Fishing rods also increase Farming
A fishing rod counts as Farming equipment while it is on your toolbar.
That bonus works outside fishing.
An 
Advanced or 
Pro Rod can therefore help your Vineyard and cooking progression too.
See Fishing Guide and Rod Upgrades.
Can a zombie make 3★ Wine?
Zombie workers have their own Mastery and talent progression.
A developed farming zombie can eventually handle high-quality Vineyard work.
That is a strong long-term solution, but if you are already blocked by the next battle, upgrading Wine with Umami is usually faster.
3★ Grapes or Umami?
You need three bottles right now
Use Umami.
You plan to pay mercenaries with Wine repeatedly
Build a reliable high-quality Vineyard.
You are moving toward full zombie squads
Do not overinvest in Wine only for mercenaries.
See Defender's Emblem and Zombie Squads.
FAQ
Can I make 3★ Wine without 3★ Grapes?
Yes. Upgrade 1★ Wine with Spices, then upgrade 2★ Wine with Umami.
What Mastery does Umami upgrading require?
Farming 6.
Do I need Steel tools?
No. Steel tools help, but the alchemy quality-upgrade route bypasses that requirement.
What do mercenaries eventually demand?
3 bottles of 3★ Wine per victory after the Inflation progression.
Why didn't my 2★ Grapes upgrade?
Star improvement begins only after enough successful crop steps, starting at the 11th successful step.
