The Ultimate Wine-Themed Mystery Thriller Adapted from Masterful Manga

Apple TV has a penchant for unorthodox original series, so it’s no surprise that the streamer has adapted the greatest of all gourmet mangas into a full-bodied mystery thriller of exceptional vintage. As small-screen dramas about food and drink go, Quoc Dang Tran’s adaptation of Drops of God is the perfect blend of fermented grapes and slow-burn suspense.

Roundly underrated among Apple TV originals, the series is as stylish and sophisticated as the drinks it serves up. It follows the fortunes of two aspiring wine experts looking to inherit an enormous fortune in world-renowned bottles. Fleur Geffrier plays the daughter of the deceased estate holder, while Issei Tomine portrays the student he mentored.

Between them, they must battle it out to determine who is more worthy of going home with the spoils, by putting their expertise as sommeliers through a series of tests. Quite unlike any other TV drama in existence, this show is every bit as fluent in the wine trade as the seminal manga series that inspired it.

There are dozens of streaming series around the world which dramatize cuisine, from American streaming juggernauts like The Bear to K-dramas about food-themed time travel and possessed chefs. But nothing else out there on the small screen quenches our thirst for wine appreciation the way Drops of God does.

Apple TV’s Drops Of God Is Based On A Masterful Manga Series

Drops of God started out as a seinen manga, years before its arrival on television in various forms, including – most recently – an anime series. However, it’s the Apple TV show that brings the full flavor of the original manga to our palettes. Created by brother and sister team Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, Drops of God is totally unapologetic about its love of fine wines.

The manga conveys the sensory experience of wine appreciation in exquisite detail, through carefully choreographed scenes, precise dialogue, and Shu Okimoto’s vivid illustrations. Yet, its indulgence in the art of tasting isn’t without purpose. The wine in the series serves as the driving force for suspenseful plotlines full of thrills.

Marking the pinnacle of the gourmet manga craze that took off in Japan during the 1980s, Drops of God debuted in 2004, and continued for 10 years across 44 volumes. It was then followed up by two sequel manga series, Drops of God: Mariage and Drops of God deuxième.

The manga franchise’s visual elegance and slow-burn thrill arcs won it countless plaudits, but perhaps its greatest achievement was the increased interest it generated in wine collection. Particularly in its native Japan, the sales of specific luxury wines spiked in the months following their appearances in Drops of God (via Grape Collective).

Drops Of God Is The Best TV Drama About Wine Ever Made

Fleur Geffrier looking intense while drinking wine in Drops of God season 1

As brilliantly original as the manga series is, though, its live-action adaptation on the small screen is even better. Apple TV’s Drops of God is a must-watch for anyone who wants to pair smoldering suspense and alluring plot twists with a glass of the finest rouge or blanc within their price range.

The connoisseur’s mystery thriller, this series only gets better with age, reserving its finest selection of single-harvest grapes for season 2. There has never been another scripted drama on television that makes wine quite as entertaining or enthralling as this one. It’ll be no surprise if Apple TV has ordered a third set of bottles from the same vineyard.

At the same time, Drops of God remains a hidden gem on the streaming platform. It certainly deserves another chance to immerse us in the real world of wine via its intriguing fictional premise, but audience numbers aren’t exactly in its favor. Still, this exquisitely refined serial drama is a treat for those who give it a taste.