Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Comic Becomes Bible of Asia's Wine Culture

Wannabe oenophiles takes cues from The Drops of the Gods

By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 23, 2008 1:32 PM CDT

(Newser) – What do Freddie Mercury and a Jean-François Millet painting have in common? Both have been used to describe wine in The Drops of the Gods, a Japanese comic series that’s quickly becoming the go-to wine literature in Asia, reports the New York Times. Customers tend to ask for wines featured in the comic, leading wine sellers to snap up each issue.

The series, started 4 years ago by a brother-and-sister team who rent an entire apartment for their 3,000-bottle wine collection and pay for earthquake protection, features mostly French wines. The authors attempt to describe wine in a way the average drinker can understand, allowing their comic to become influential all over Asia, where wine has only become popular fairly recently.

[Images (2)]

[Quotes (2)]

In Asia, where wine has recently gained popularity, a popular manga educates consumers. (AP Photo)

A cover of "Kami no Shizuku," translated as "The Drops of the Gods." (Flickr)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Wines are like human beings. The first time you meet, instead of being all smiles and wanting to become friends right away, there has to be some formality, some conversation.
- Yuko Kibayashi on why she prefers French wines

It’s like the voice of Queen's lead vocalist, sweet and husky, enveloped in thick guitar riffs and heavy drums. - The lead character of "The Drops of the Gods" describes a 2001 Bordeaux.

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Forget Snobbery: Drink Cheap Wine

You won't be able to tell the difference: Brian Palmer

(NEWSER) - Studies have shown that wine drinkers can’t tell the difference between cheap and expensive bottles, and may actually prefer the cheap stuff in a blind taste test—so why are we still paying at least 15 bucks for a supposedly “everyday” bottle of wine? Because, as other studies have shown, American consumers think they prefer more expensive wine—even if they're unknowingly comparing two glasses of the same vintage. Europeans, conversely, are happy to drink a $1.79 bottle or break out “a 1-euro tetra-pak of wine for guests,” writes Brian Palmer in Slate . More»

New Cocktail Hotshot: Sherry

Don't just cook with it; mix a drink with it

(NEWSER) - After decades relegated to a spot in the cooking aisle, sherry is making a comeback. The Spanish fortified wine is becoming a trendy cocktail ingredient, especially in Los Angeles, the Times reports. The drinks can get pretty swanky—one involves gold dust; another, reportedly loved by Frank Sinatra, flamed orange oil. “You see a lot of going back to classic cocktail ingredients,” says one restaurateur whose establishment aims to recapture “Old Hollywood swell-egance.” More»

Finally, World-Class Wine From Japan

Critics applaud vino from local grape

(NEWSER) - For decades, critics wouldn’t give Japan’s wine industry a second sniff—but a new wine from a local grape could change all that. One firm’s koshu wine has won over taste buds from France to the US, the Guardian reports. The “crisp and pleasant” Cuvée Denis Dubourdieu is “clearly meant to be a wine to guzzle with sushi or sashimi,” noted wine critic Robert Parker. More»

French Wines Wither Under Climate Change

Industry pushes President Sarkozy for carbon emission cut

(NEWSER) - A warming world has French winemakers sweating more than a little, experts tell the Financial Times. “Current research suggests that by the end of the 21st century, one summer out of two will be at least as hot as 2003,” the year of a record-breaking heat wave that prompted early harvest and lackluster vintages, notes one scientist. Industry experts are worried enough that they penned a letter asking Nicolas Sarkozy to get behind a steep carbon emissions cut at a meeting in December. More»

'Fag Hag' No Longer Hip Label

Gay men slowly becoming less of an 'accessory' for women

(NEWSER) - Thanks to Will & Grace, the young gay men of a decade ago were turned “into something unexpected: a must-have item,” writes Thomas Rogers for Salon. Though he was “jockish, pop-culturally illiterate, and dressed in mom jeans,” Rogers “remained a strangely alluring target for a large number of straight women”—and he didn’t find it entirely enjoyable. Thankfully, though, “the fag hag is becoming a relic of another era.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Comic Becomes Bible of Asia's Wine Culture