In Old School RuneScape (OSRS), training skills often comes down to understanding small but crucial mechanics. One common question among players training the Cooking skill through wine-making is whether wine ferments while stored in the bank. This detail may seem minor at first, but it significantly impacts the efficiency and planning for leveling up Cooking. Understanding how wine fermentation works in OSRS, especially in relation to the banking system, can help players optimize their experience gain and avoid common mistakes that waste time and ingredients.
How Wine Making Works in OSRS
Basic Mechanics of Wine Fermentation
In OSRS, wine is made by combining grapes with a jug of water, which creates an unfermented jug of wine. After about 12 seconds, the jug of wine will ferment and turn into either ajug of wine(successful) orjug of bad wine(failed), depending on the player’s Cooking level. Players typically start succeeding 100% of the time at level 68 Cooking, making it a highly efficient training method after that point.
Why Players Choose Wine for Cooking Training
Wine-making is one of the fastest methods for training Cooking in OSRS. The main reasons include:
- Quick preparation with just two ingredients
- High experience yield (200 XP per successful wine)
- Fast fermentation time
However, the process includes some quirks that need to be understood to use this method optimally particularly the fermentation and bank mechanics.
Does Wine Ferment in the Bank?
Understanding the Game Mechanic
One of the most important mechanics to understand is that wine in OSRS doesnotferment while inside the bank. Once a player combines grapes and water to make unfermented wine, the fermentation process begins with a timer, but this timer pauses if the wine is stored in the bank. It only continues once the item is in the player’s inventory again.
What This Means for Training
This has several implications:
- If you make a batch of wine and immediately bank it, it stays unfermented until withdrawn again.
- Fermentation and resulting XP gain only happen after the item ferments in the inventory.
- This mechanic prevents players from stockpiling large amounts of wine in the bank and gaining massive XP in one go.
Optimal Wine-Making Strategy
Training Efficiency Tips
To maximize Cooking XP, players should consider the following:
- Make wine in small batches and wait for it to ferment before banking.
- Wait the full 12 seconds while the wine ferments in your inventory.
- Do not bank unfermented wine if your goal is rapid XP gain.
Some players choose to multitask during the fermentation time doing quick activities such as fletching, teleporting, or simply preparing the next round of ingredients.
Batch Size and Inventory Management
Given that a full inventory allows for 14 grapes and 14 jugs of water, players can make 14 wines per inventory. After combining the ingredients, the player must wait approximately 12 seconds for fermentation before banking and repeating the process. Trying to rush through by banking immediately results in unfermented wine that yields no XP.
XP Gain and Timing Considerations
How XP is Delivered
In OSRS, you do not receive Cooking experience at the moment of combining grapes and water. Instead, you receive it once the wine successfully ferments. If the wine is successful (jug of wine), 200 Cooking XP is granted. If it fails (jug of bad wine), no experience is given.
Fermentation Delay and Its Effects
Since XP is only awarded upon fermentation, banking unfermented wine delays your experience gain. This is a critical consideration for players aiming to reach certain Cooking milestones within a limited time frame, such as for quest or diary requirements.
Skill Requirements and Level Milestones
When to Start Wine-Making
Although wine can be made at level 35 Cooking, success rates are relatively low until level 68. Below this threshold, there is a chance of creating bad wine, which not only wastes materials but also gives no XP. For this reason, many players wait until at least level 68 before committing heavily to wine-making as a training method.
Benefits After Level 68
Once you reach Cooking level 68, your chance of making a bad wine drops to 0%, meaning every wine grants full XP. This transforms wine-making into one of the most efficient ways to train Cooking all the way to level 99.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Banking Too Soon
One of the most frequent errors new players make is banking their unfermented wine immediately after creation, expecting it to ferment in the bank. As explained earlier, this results in no XP gain until it’s withdrawn and allowed to ferment in the inventory.
Misjudging Inventory Space
Another issue arises when players attempt to multitask and don’t leave space for fermented wine or replacement ingredients. Keeping track of inventory space is crucial to avoid wasting time or disrupting the wine-making cycle.
Using Bank Placeholders
Organization and Preparation
To streamline the process, players can use bank placeholders for grapes, jugs of water, and jug of wine. This helps keep the bank organized and speeds up the process of withdrawing ingredients and storing the result.
Custom Tabs for Cooking
Creating a custom Cooking tab in your bank with placeholders and quantity tracking makes it easier to train without unnecessary downtime. You’ll always know how many ingredients you have left and can monitor your jug of wine supply efficiently.
Summary and Final Thoughts
the answer to whether wine ferments in the bank in OSRS is a clear no. Understanding this mechanic is essential for players who want to train Cooking efficiently using wine-making. Avoiding the common mistake of banking unfermented wine ensures a steady flow of XP and helps you reach your level goals faster. The wine-making method becomes highly effective at level 68 and beyond, offering one of the fastest Cooking XP rates in the game when performed correctly. By managing your inventory well, allowing fermentation in real time, and organizing your bank with care, you can make the most out of this popular skill training strategy in Old School RuneScape.