I never imagined that wine tasting could be so intense when I Drops of God on Apple TV Plus – although I should have known from the dramatic title. After watching this show, I’m still amazed at how Drops of God took an activity typically reserved for wealthy millionaires and transformed it into an intoxicating thriller that anyone can watch – whether you’re an inexperienced wine drinker like me, or just don’t like wine.
I know I’m a little late to the party, since Drops of God was released in April 2023, but despite becoming one of the Apple TV Plus dramas to receive an impeccable 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, I had never heard of it until recently — and I think more people need to sample this hidden gem.
Drops of God turns out to be thirsty work, so you’ll definitely need to pour yourself a glass of something as you indulge in this stylish French-Japanese drama. Based on the hit manga series of the same name by Tadashi Agi (which actually sparked a wine boom in Japan and South Korea), Drops of God begins with Camille Léger (Fleur Geffrier), the estranged daughter of famous wine lover Alexandre Léger (Stanley Weber), who learns that her father has died.
He leaves behind his extensive wine cellar, believed to be the most important private collection in the world and worth over $100 million. Instead of doing the normal thing and simply passing it on to his daughter, however, he concocts an intense competition to determine who will inherit the wine. Before Camille can claim her vast inheritance, she must compete against a talented young oenologist and her father’s protégé, Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita), in a series of tests that require her to identify a number of wines through sight, smell and taste.
The drama is as addictive as the wine
You’d think Camille would have an advantage, having been trained from a young age to have a refined taste for the “God of Wine” himself, but there’s just one problem holding her back: she doesn’t drink. Not only that, she’s developed a physical aversion to alcohol, so much so that she’ll pass out or have uncontrollable nosebleeds after just one sip. It quickly becomes apparent that she’ll face some stiff competition when it comes to her gifted opponent and her father’s “spiritual son,” Issei.
Camille sets out on a journey to address this problem by visiting a vineyard in France owned by a friend of her father’s and tasting different wines to correctly determine which wine is which in the competition. While all this wine sniffing and swirling may seem boring, Drops of God keeps you engaged with a visual spectacle of Camille’s inner experience. As she smells and tastes the wine, Camille is transported to a memory palace where she sorts through cabinets and piles of disarray to find the right tasting notes. Before she is hit with explosions of color as a note of licorice or celeriac bombards her brain. Sometimes it’s just as bizarre in the real world as Camille goes on a secret mission to get a sniff of a rare wine on a millionaire’s table that costs $10,000 a bottle.
Infused with the tones of drama are the complicated family dynamics and fractured personal lives of the main characters. Of course, I initially believed that Camille was the rightful owner of the wine, since she is his daughter after all, but my heart broke when their true motives and issues came to light as to why they wanted to claim the wine collection. For Camille, it’s to prove herself to the world after a difficult life, and for Issei, it’s to pursue his passion while his family threatens to disown him.
Their heartbreaking personal reasons touched me and I even said to my partner, “I don’t know who I want to win.” This situation only gets more complicated as shocking secrets come to light that make the characters even more fascinating and complex.
Tastes as good as it looks
Follow the likes of one of the best Apple TV Plus shows Pachinko, Drops of God is another multilingual series to add to his already great library. But not only Drops of God not only tastes good, it also looks fantastic.
Drops of God jumps between Camille and Issei’s home countries of France and Japan, but both countries are shown in strikingly different ways. French vineyards are teeming with glorious golden sunshine, while Tokyo is awash in modern cool hues of blue and gray. The contrasting colors seem to reflect the personalities of the two characters, with Camille being fiery and vivacious, while Issei is reserved and controlled.
As someone with very limited wine knowledge who can’t tell the difference between a Pinot Grigio and a Sauvignon Blanc, I felt like I was injected with expertise when they listed whether the wine had notes of moss or chalk. While I don’t think I’ll be an expert sommelier anytime soon, I can’t wait to pop the cork and see what’s in store now Drops of God has been renewed for a second season.