Apparently unsatisfied with just announcing a new expansion and a whole new edition of Wingspan, board game publisher Stonemaier Games is also kicking off 2026 by releasing Viticulture: Bordeaux, a fairly chunky add-on to its beloved 2013 worker placement game about (can you guess?) wine. You can add your own joke about popping corks here if you want.
Unlike its Stonemaier sibling Wingspan, Viticulture doesn't enjoy a seat in our list of the best board games ever, but there's no doubting its massive, long lasting popularity. Bordeaux is the fifth full scale Viticulture expansion published over the 13 years since it came out, and the first since 2022's Viticulture World, which added cooperative play.
Viticulture: Bordeaux is going up for pre-order on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and will be released in local stores in late February. It's also set in the internationally famous winemaking region of Bordeaux in southwestern France - hence the name!
We're sure French fans will be gratified that the world's most popular wine-based board game is finally paying their country an official visit after spending over a decade focused almost entirely on Italy. But, given that Viticulture's geographical setting is pretty irrelevant to the game, most tabletop viticulturalists are likely to care more about the new rules.
Stonemaier calls this box an "alternative board expansion", as opposed to smaller ones that just add alternate cards, or larger ones like Viticulture World that bring an entirely new game mode. It's based on a brand new core game board that aims to shake up the game's core mechanics and deliver, among other things, "a faster start and shorter overall playtime, especially at 5-6 players". That's a welcome direction, in a game that takes an hour and a half to play (at the low end).
It's primarily done by beefing up your starting resources, encouraging players to invest hard into their winemaking engine early in the game. That comes along with a basket of other tweaks, including an expanded trade mechanic; a new 'experts' system to permanently upgrade one in-game action; and a revamped Wake Up chart (the game's turn order system).
Among other things, Stonemaier's website says these are aimed at nuking some "repetitive, non-winemaking strategies", giving "greater incentives ton engage with the winemaking process", and create "opportunities for positive player interaction".
Viticulture: Bordeaux goes live for pre-order on the same day as the Wingspan Americas expansion, revealed last week, which adds 111 bird cards (including 40 new hummingbird types) to the publisher's avian magnum opus. If you're a big fan of Stonemaier's titles, it's fair to say you're eating (and drinking) good in the next couple months!
What's your take on this new, French take on Viticulture? Can it match up to the current top combo: the Essential Editions of the core game and Tuscany expansion? Come join the free Wargamer Discord community and let us know - we've got new board game chats going on all the time, as well as giveaways, live events, and assorted tabletop shenanigans!