The joys of life's offerings / drinking up your love..." The Japanese poet Toson Shimazaki's poem "First Love" provides the key to unlocking the Fourth Apostle, the latest stage in Shizuku's battle. Coincidentally, he runs into an old acquaintance of his own -- and soon embarks on a quest for the wine that evokes a first love best of all. Meanwhile, Issei is on a lonely journey into his own past as well...
The competition between Shizuku Kanzaki and wine critic Issei Tomine begins, as they hear the description of the “First Apostle” left in Yutaka Kanzaki's will. Issei already has an idea what this mystery wine could be, but Shizuku's simply too inexperienced to venture a guess. Things start to look up when he comes across a painting at a gallery that seems to be a perfect match for the First Apostle description-but the artist unfortunately suffers from a severe case of amnesia…
After a wild night of popping corks with his old buddies from Taiyo Beer, Shizuku stumbles in on a heated argument between father and daughter at Mama-Miya. While Kurazo wants to enter the Tokyo Dine and Wine Festival's mariage showdown, Komi knows that losing will doom their family business. To make matters worse, Romaneya is taking part in the competition…and to nobody's surprise, they're not above cheating. Does the Mama-Miya crew have any tricks up their sleeve, or will they become the laughingstock of the industry?
With the battle over the Third Apostle over, Shizuku Kanzaki and Issei Tomine return to their respective routines. One day, a Korean restaurateur asks Shizuku's department for wines to match with his food -- but they discover that kimchi, the linchpin of Korean cuisine, clashes harshly with everything they throw at it. Believing in the infinite potential of wine, Shizuku is soon off to Seoul to discover the perfect mariage for these unfamiliar friends!
Taiyo Beer, Shizuku's employer, is debating whether to begin its expansion into wine distribution with French or Italian selections. The company holds an internal competition pitting Shizuku against his boss, Italian-wine diehard Honma, and soon he's on a chase with Miyabi searching for French wine to compete against him. But on the day of the competition, the wines he selected with such confidence may lead him to an unexpected pitfall!
The description of the Seventh Apostle is revealed--a wine reliant upon believing in others and never giving up on your dreams. Winner of the 2009 "Best of the Best" prize from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards!
Shizuku and Issei have both successfully found wines to satisfy Akie and Kyoka's wishes...and now, they're absolutely positive they've found the Twelfth Apostle!
Taiyo Beer's wine department has been asked to compose a wine list to pair with Korean cuisine -- and Shizuku Kanzaki, believing in wine's potential, has traveled to Korea solo to search. The trail is cold at first, but after a very unexpected hint from his rival Issei Tomine, he soon finds a possible answer. But is there really a red wine out there that can hold up against the intense spice of Korean food?!
At a chalet near Mt. Fuji, Shizuku and Issei square up for the final Fifth Apostle competition. Shizuku, guided by his friend and partner Andreas to the top of the Matterhorn, is convinced the wine he opened afterward is the Apostle. Issei, meanwhile, challenged the peak solo and vanished into a roaring blizzard. Will he or his rival manage to conquer this lofty challenge?
If a nation full of artisans like Japan turns its attention to wine, the sky's the limit-and now Shizuku is exploring the top three wineries the nation has to offer! Before long, though, the battle over the Twelfth and final Apostle kicks off! What will Shizuku and Issei find themselves tangling with this time...?
The Eleventh Apostle, a.k.a. the Spain arc, grew to become the longest arc in series history. With its end, The Drops of God shifts its focus...to made-in-Japan wine! Full of dedicated artisan craftsmen, steep heights, and the entire litany of Earth's natural climates from north to south, the nation of Japan proves to be an unexpected treasure trove of terroir and new discoveries!
The Eleventh Apostle is revealed-its description resplendent with descriptions of the wind and setting sun. With five victories each, Shizuku and Issei can't afford to lose-and the key to this match could be Spain, a land of sunsets and a region shrouded in mystery. Now, their attention turns to the young vintners seeking elegant wines and crafting new trends in the Spanish scene! Plus: What happens when Issei Tomine stumbles upon a daring wine robbery on a posh cruise?
Only those who overcome a towering wall of adversity can throw themselves into the warm embrace of the Ninth Apostle. Issei is on the run now, searching for the goddess of victory-and Shizuku is close behind, hot on his heels across central Italy. Now they're joined by Chris, a man capable of naming any wine instantly. As cheering fills the air, who will be crowned the victor of this challenge?
It's the second round of Shizuku and Issei's battle. Yutaka invoked the image of the Mona Lisa when describing the Second Apostle in his will, and the two of them have three weeks to identify the wine and its vintage. In order to cultivate his internal “thirst” for wine, Issei decides to go on a backpacking trip across the deserts of China-while Shizuku is asked by mystery writer Maiko Natsuyagi to investigate a label-less bottle of wine, sent to her with a threatening letter.
Right after the battle over the Fourth Apostle ends, Yutaka Kanzaki's mansion in Karuizawa is victimized by theft.The stolen goods: Five bottles with a combined value of ten million yen! To get this irreplaceable wine back, Shizuku and Issei team up for the first time to solve the mystery. Who's the culprit?!
After being trounced in the Seventh Apostle search, Shizuku begins to doubt the whole competition, hinting that he may choose to bow out. Then he learns of the Médoc Marathon, an event where competitors run 26.2 miles while visiting some of the best wineries Bordeaux's Left Bank has to offer. Seeking the origins behind his father Yutaka's entry into wine -- and the inner meaning behind the epic wine struggle he devised -- Shizuku takes to the starting line!
After a shocking conclusion to the Tokyo Dine and Wine showdown, Shizuku and the other finalists must each take their next steps. When Shizuku reunites with Issei, Miyabi, and other familiar faces, it's not long before an old friend of his father enlists them to find the perfect mariage for an imperfect dish. The entrée Shizuku is served compels him to chase down his father's favorite ratatouille restaurant in search of a breakthrough. Later, Chef Mikasa enlists the help of Shizuku after their tumultuous competition together, and introduces him to an eccentric but elusive restaurateur in France…
Why is life laden with so many fortunate encounters that prove to be all too fleeting? As Robert Doi would say, "that, too, is wine." But now Loulan, whose keen wine senses have made her indispensible to Issei Tomine, finds herself navigating separation, followed by new meetings-bookended by similarly new, and enthralling, glasses...
With Issei winning five to four over Shizuku, the battle over the Tenth Apostle begins! But this time, Yutaka's prepared a challenge trickier and more complex than ever before. The task facing the two competitors: The enthralling, sometimes maddening world of Burgundy's Pinot noirs. As divinely elegant as they smell and taste, exploring their realm can be like setting foot in a labyrinth with no escape...
The race is on for the Ninth Apostle-and Shizuku, Issei, and Chris are all focused on Brunello di Montalcino, the style of red wine from the sun-kissed valleys of central Italy. The first three-way battle of the competition soon explodes into a whirlwind that could threaten loves…and friendships! The latest in the manga series acclaimed around the world, its author recently winning France's L'Ordre du Mérite Agricole award!
The battle for the Eighth Apostle begins, a wine fabled to be as divine as a regal Madonna herself-a woman not even Shizuku's father Yutaka could reach. The Apostle described by him is an elegant, golden “wine of encounters,” and to find it, Shizuku decides to track down the “Madonna” Yutaka wrote of. Meanwhile, Issei conducts his own search-not for the woman behind the wine, but for the wine that made Yutaka picture such revered beauty…
The wine division has a young new staffer--Ryusuke Kido, an avowed wine hater so prejudiced against the drink that he refuses to try it! How to get him to change his mind? In search of an answer, Shizuku travels to his father's villa in Nagano, pursuing memories of his younger years. There, underneath the house, lies part of Yutaka Kanzaki's two-billion-yen wine collection--memories of wine, and people, from the past...
In search of the Sixth Apostle -- compared in Yutaka's will to a statue of the Maitreya Buddha -- Shizuku and Issei head for Japan's old capital of Kyoto. Shizuku finds inspiration from Italian restauranteur Leonardo and a snippet of ancient poetry, while Issei contemplates Buddhist relics and his fractured relationship with his mother Honoka. But when the time comes to battle it out, which competitor will find true enlightenment?
From out of nowhere, a third competitor makes his appearance-bringing with him the aroma of an Henri Jayer, the wine Yutaka Kanzaki chose for his final sip. Soon, he will descend upon the Ninth Apostle battle arena, poised to surpass even Shizuku and Issei…
At a party held by Spanish nobility, Shizuku has successfully picked and described a wine that evokes sunset in Granada-but Loulan had a surprise of her own for him...! It's taster against taster in this party framed by dusk over Alhambra-followed soon after by Shizuku against Issei in a fight over the Eleventh Apostle. Don't miss the climax as Shizuku fights the most epic wine battle of his life!
The wine-aided detente between Shizuku and Issei doesn't last long -- not when there's a Fifth Apostle to fight over. This wine is themed after lofty mountains, and as Issei immediately risks his life to take action, Shizuku travels to Mt. Fuji for hints. There he meets Sayaka, a girl searching for the wine her close friend promised to share with her before vanishing on nearby Mt. Yari. Could this encounter lead Shizuku to the Fifth Apostle?
The "Third Apostle," according to Yutaka Kanzaki's will, has the power to evoke nostalgia for the past. Shizuku, sensing his decisive lack of wine experience, visits wine collector and film director Kurokawa in search of that kind of life-changing wine. He agrees to help, but only if Shizuku can convince film star Nanami Matsushita to see things his way... The third round begins with a deep look into the past!
Taiyo Beer's wine department has scored a booth at Tokyo's massive Food & Wine Show. Shizuku and his co-workers opt to team up with a Chinese chain restaurant for the expo, and after a trial-and-error process, they decide Italian wines make for the best pairings. Spirits are running high, with a litany of exquisite mariages on offer for Day One of the event -- but the crowds seem less than impressed. Where did they go wrong? What are they missing?
The Eighth Apostle battle comes to a close! Here is the bottle that exemplifies the “Madonna” Yutaka Kanzaki looked up to, a golden-yellow wine that brings the lucky sampler new encounters. Anyone who tastes it must take care, lest they become intoxicated with its sensual aroma that captivates all comers…
Yutaka Kanzaki, a wine critic whose reviews have enough clout to move the industry worldwide, has died-leaving behind a wine collection worth over two billion yen. Only the one who can name his favorite bottles, plus vintages, will inherit this dream of a cellar. It's a battle between Yutaka's biological son Shizuku and adopted child Issei to identify these “Twelve Apostles”-along with the very best wine in his collection, the so-called “Drops of God.”
Issei Tomine, up-and-coming wine critic and Shizuku's bitter industry rival, has just trashed a French restaurant in his review-and Shizuku's been asked to save the business from bankruptcy. With his assistant Miyabi, he tries to figure out why Tomine was so harsh on the place, only to rediscover the rich and beautiful harmonies wine and French cuisine can weave together!
Chosuke Honma, the “Italian Monster,” first cultivated his love for the nation's wine after his relationship with Frenchwoman Catherine Noella fell apart. Upon hearing of her marriage, Honma, burning as hot as the sun itself, distills three years' worth of conflicted emotions into a single bottle of wine…
Akie, an old flame that Fujieda has just reunited with, is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Kyoka Amakasu, a genius wine taster, suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Two women, facing their fates, set off in search of wine to to entrust themselves to... What impact will they have on Shizuku Kanzaki and Issei Tomine's final battle? The world of older vintages provides new depth and charm to this epic tale!
After sampling a 1970 Château Pétrus, Shizuku feels that he's enjoyed a taste of time itself-even as Issei recruits Loulan, a potentially powerful assistant, from the deserts of China. The two of them are confident in their picks for the Third Apostle-but Shizuku quickly realizes just how wrong he was! The competition reaches an unexpected conclusion as the two of them tackle their greatest challenge yet!
The chase is on for the "sunset over Granada!" Between its high elevations, half-century-old vines, and talented vintners from all over the world, Spain enjoys one of the world's most fascinating wine scenes. But when Shizuku touches down, he's immediately given a challenge from an up-and-coming wine selector. What Spanish wine best evokes a sunset framing Alhambra? And who is this mystery selector? The action heats up fast, as the Eleventh Apostle lurks within a land experiencing a wine renaissance!
Shizuku Kanzaki is blessed with superhuman wine tasting skills, along with the genius-level creativity to describe what he tastes. Now he's on a quest to reach the loftiest peaks of his life's work, but when Miyabi Shinohara, his friend and an apprentice sommelière, breaks a bottle of expensive wine, it's up to him to find a replacement. The selection he finds teaches him all about the deep, powerful, and often star-crossed passions wine can hold inside…
Alsace, a region nestled on the France-Germany border, is home to a mix of two cultures-blessed with a great many grape varieties, letting it create wine with no peer in either of those nations. Can Shizuku's Alsatian wine picks defeat more traditional French selections in a livestreamed competition?
Before disappearing on Mt. Yari, a mountain photographer put his thoughts and feelings into a single bottle of wine -- one Shizuku feels could connect him to the Fifth Apostle. Confident, he bites the bullet and takes a trip to the Matterhorn in Europe...but Issei isn't far behind him. What will the peak of this "demon mountain" reveal to the two of them?
Akie, Fujieda's reunited lover, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Kyoka, suffering from early-onset Alzheimer's disease, struggles to retain her mind amid fears of losing her memory. Their problems provide an unlikely window to the Twelfth Apostle for both Shizuku and Tomine...
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