Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A Comic Book Selling Wine?

Would you expect a comic book to lead to increased wine sales? It may seem strange but it has happened in Asia. Mmmm...with the expanding wine market in Asia should wineries then start creating comics to promote their wines.

Decanter magazine has an article about a Japanese Manga, a type of comic, that has led to an increased demand for wines. This particular Manga is called "Kami no Shizuku" which translates as "The Drops of God." The plot revolves around a quest to find 12 wines "likened to Christ's disciples."

When the Manga has mentioned specific wines, the demand for those wines has suddenly spiked. A couple of the wines mentioned were the 2001 Despagne's Château Mont Perat and the Umberto Cosmo's Colli di Conegliano. Interestingly, the Manga describes the wines in unconventional ways. The "Mont Perat is likened to a concert given by the rock group Queen, with the wine's acidity taking the place of Freddie Mercury's vocals."

The Manga is a lengthy series and will likely continue for four to five more years. There are plans to translate the Manga in France and maybe even Italy.

Mangas have far more respectibility in Japan than most comic books do in the U.S. Though U.S. "graphic novels" (which is just a fancy name for comic book) have started to gain more credibility. Would it work for a U.S. comic to promote wine? It seems doubtful to me. It would be interesting to see someone try though.

As an Update: You can check out this article at Asahi.com which talks about French winemaker Thibault Despagne and his reaction to his wine being mentioned in the Manga. The article also goes into detail about this winemaker, his philosophy and ideas on wine.

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