For Adult Eyes Only: The Drops of God

The Drops of God by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto is so influential that it greatly increased consumption of wine in Asia. It is a graphic novel so detailed and so intriguing that is a best seller, a winner of the Gourmand Cookbook Awards and reviewed in Wine Spectator.  Few works of fiction can claim to have accomplished the same in the West. 

The Drops of God follows the son of a professional wine critic as he enters the world of wine. After his estranged father’s death, Kanzaki Shinzuku must compete against one of the best Japanese wine critics in a blind tasting contest in order to receive his inheritance. The man who is able to taste and identify the 12 “apostle” wines that father identified as the best in the world, and the “Drops of God” a vintage that stands above all the rest, will get the entire inheritance.

Despite the significant amount of real knowledge it imparts, the story is never boring. The personal drama of the characters, their over the top reactions to tasting wine and the intensity in which they pursue their goals makes the dryer bits easy to consume.  I’ve been reading manga (Japanese Graphic novels) since middle school, and this is one of the most eloquently written titles in its genre. That’s right, if you like this title, there is an entire genre of food manga. But few execute such a narrow focus with as much grace and interest as the “Drops of God.”

No soundtrack for this title, although I was listening to classical. Put a copy of “Drops of God” on hold at the Patchogue-Medford Library.