How to craft Blood Merlot in V Rising

a vampire sitting on a throne in his castle
(Image credit: Stunlock Studios)

As part of the new Secrets of Gloomrot expansion in V Rising, you'll be able to find new resources like pollen and craft items like Blood Merlot. This new item is essentially a better blood potion but before you can craft it, you'll need to defeat a boss to obtain a blueprint. Here, I'll tell you where to find the boss and blueprint plus what you'll need to craft Blood Merlot. 

If you're in the endgame and are looking to unlock the new Ancestral Forge, you'll need to get your hands on a sludge-filled canister and radium alloy first. 

Where to find the blood merlot blueprint 

(Image credit: Stunlock Studios)

To get started, you'll need to head to the Brighthaven Vineyards, which can be found in the Silverlight Hills. You'll notice that the important loot for this area is Sacred Grapes, so remember this. You're looking for a boss called Baron du Bouchon the Sommelier and you'll need to defeat this wine connoisseur to get your hands on the Blood Merlot blueprint. 

How to craft blood merlot 

(Image credit: Stunlock Studios)

Once the blueprint is acquired, you'll need to gather 60 Scared Grapes and craft a glass bottle—can't just be throwing grapes around. You can get grapes from barrels and vines in the Brighthaven Vineyards, though keep an eye out for harpies as they will attack you because they are also after some grapes.

After you've collected 60 Sacred Grapes and your glass bottle you can make the Blood Merlot. It can be given to abducted people and lets you tap a prisoner, costing you 25-50% health. It'll also increase misery by 3-15% at a time.

You can also get the Blood Merlot amulet after defeating the baron and wearing it will boost your spell power +23 and a +15% reduced blood drain rate.

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The first three games Lauren played on PC were Star Wars: X-Wing, Zoo Tycoon and Barbie Fashion Designer, which explains her love of all things space, strategy and aesthetically pleasing. Lauren recently took over as PC Gamer's Guides Editor after three years of writing many dozens of Destiny 2 guides at VG247, as well as casually trying to shoehorn in The Witcher 3 articles wherever possible. When she's not trying to force everyone to play as a Warlock in Destiny 2, Lauren is either mastering her SEO abilities to help smash the competition, or patting one of her red sons.