Wine is such a mysterious drink that the more knowledge and information you have about it, the more interesting it becomes.
For example, let's say you're drinking a red wine whose name, region, variety, and price you don't know anything about. Is it a wine that costs about 1000 yen? If you were to learn that the wine you thought was actually worth 10,000 yen, you would suddenly appreciate the wine even more, and you would want to savor every sip and drink it with care, wouldn't you?
It's not just the price of the wine, but just having a little knowledge and information about the wine, such as the region of origin, variety, and the story of the producer, can make you feel much closer to the wine and make it taste even better. is.
Therefore, if you want to explore the deliciousness of wine even more, we recommend reading books about wine. The more you know about wine, the more you will be able to enjoy it.
This time, we will introduce three recommended books that will help you gain knowledge about wine while having fun!
① I want to roll around with you on the golden hill /Shion Miura (author), Marie Okamoto (author)
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B07SQQLDXC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_MSS85PKRWBP7EZFRXBDB
I read this book when I was just starting to study wine, and the author's passion for alcohol made me laugh, and I felt like I was taking a wine lecture with the author.I learned the basics of wine. This is my favorite book that I learned a lot from.
Shion Miura, a writer who loves alcohol and drinks a lot of wine, but is a beginner when it comes to wine knowledge, and her friends will learn about the basics of wine from Marie Okamoto, a wine and food culture researcher. It depicts a person receiving a lecture.
Shion Miura's narration in this book is very exciting and interesting, and will dispel the impression that studying wine is difficult. Shion Miura's writing is very interesting, so even those who are not interested in studying wine can recommend this book as a casual read. This book makes you think, ``It's okay to study wine while having fun!'', so I think even people who aren't good at studying can easily read this book.
This book is mainly composed of two parts: ``Experience Edition'' and ``Explanation Edition''. You can enjoy it as if you were attending a lecture.
Marie Okamoto's ``Explanatory Edition'' provides easy-to-understand explanations of the lecture's themes, so it's not only interesting, but also allows you to acquire a solid knowledge of wine.
Reading this book makes me want to drink wine.
This is a book that will make you feel like, ``The best way to drink wine is to have fun and have fun!'' while learning knowledge. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is new to wine!
② Wine class French edition / Asuka Sugiyama (author)
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B08XBT573P/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_GB5ZF9KRD91E3JTEEWB5
This is a book about French wine written by an author who has a unique background: he is a mathematics instructor at a famous preparatory school, and also holds a course to prepare for the sommelier qualification exam at his own wine school.
It contains a lot of academic content that people actually studying for the sommelier qualification, so it is suitable for beginners to intermediates. However, Asuka Sugiyama, who is also a math instructor and sommelier qualification exam preparation instructor, is really good at teaching! Anyway, the explanation is easy to understand. You can read explanations of slightly difficult wine methods without feeling too difficult.
It seems that Asuka Sugiyama often travels to France for work, and because she is well-versed in local information, there is a lot of trivia that she can share with you. You can acquire a considerable amount of knowledge about French wine just by reading this book, so it is recommended for those who want more specific and specialized knowledge.
By the way, I studied using Asuka Sugiyama's ``Sommelier Exam Question Collection'' and was able to pass her sommelier qualification on the first try. For those who are planning to take the sommelier qualification exam, we also recommend this problem collection.
In addition, the ``Italian edition'' of the same series has already been released. I look forward to the release of other country series in the future!
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4898155405/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_Z4ZBEMA0FBMYWKW155VD
③Drop of God
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B009KWUNTC/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_FJKMW13DESTDKNCTS1XS
If you feel like reading a wine book is too difficult, we recommend starting with the manga!
Speaking of wine manga, there are many different types of manga, but the first one that comes to mind is probably ``Shizuku of God''. This is an extremely popular wine manga that was serialized for 10 years from 2004 to 2014, with 44 volumes released, and even made into a TV drama. Furthermore, the sequel ``Marriage ?Kami no Shizuku Final Chapter?'' was serialized from 2015 to 2020 and boasted strong popularity.
Shizuku, the son of a world-famous wine critic but an amateur when it comes to wine knowledge, becomes immersed in the world of wine through an inheritance dispute over her late father's wine collection. It is a story depicting the growth of.
By the way, the main characters are all wine superhumans. A friend of mine who read Drops of God once asked me, ``Can wine drinkers tell the brand or vintage after taking a sip?'' and ``Is this how you describe wine?'' The average person doesn't understand that much, and I've never met someone who expresses wine so dynamically (lol). I think that's what's interesting about Kami no Shizuku, which is fiction.
However, the way the characters express the taste of wine as if telling a story, and the way they do crazy things as they delve deeply into wine, is a rewarding read and draws you in. Although he may not be able to express himself as geniusly as the characters, he makes me want to enjoy wine in a more free way.
Also, since the wines that appear in the work are actually real wines, there are many wines that can be purchased at stores, unless they are ultra-luxury wines or limited edition wines. It might be interesting to try drinking the wine that appears in Kami no Shizuku while reading the manga.
Wine that appeared in Kami no ShizukuSantero/ Pinot Chardonnay Spumante [NV] 750ml/White Sparkling Santero/ Pinot Chardonnay Spumante Wine
[blogcard url=https://www.winenation.jp/view/item/000000000081]
An Italian sparkling wine that appeared in "Shizuku of God" Volume 15 #142. It appears as the wine given to Shizuku by Honma, a senior in the wine division of the company where Shizuku works. It was introduced as a bargain daily spumante, saying, ``It's different from high-end champagne, but it has a delicious flavor and beautiful bubbles.''
summary
Even if you don't have the in-depth knowledge of an expert, just by acquiring a little bit of extra information, you can enjoy the wine you normally drink much more deliciously. If you have started drinking wine and have become even more interested in wine, why not take the next step and pick up a wine-related book?
