Top 5 wine comics

Last week, Angoulême hosted the 43rd International Comics Festival. Although wine is absent from the 2016 awards, it is nonetheless a subject that is increasingly treated in the form of comics. The "ninth art" indeed offers wine a privileged support of expression to try to democratize a universe sometimes considered too complicated and codified by neophytes. An overview of these comic strips that allow you to (re)discover wine in a playful way.

"Les Ignorants" by Etienne Davodeau

Les Ignorants - tale of a cross initiation | Etienne Davodeau | Futuropolis

The Story: As its subtitle indicates, "The Ignorant" is the story of a cross initiation. One day, Etienne Davodeau, a comic book author, proposes to his friend Richard Leroy, a winegrower in the Loire, a crazy wager: to spend a year in his company to discover and better understand the world of wine, with the will in return to make him discover the world of comic books.

What we like in this comic book: Thanks to simple and realistic black and white drawings and a profoundly humanistic writing, Etienne Davodeau manages to transcribe perfectly this year rich in discoveries, exchanges and encounters. Reading this comic book, one discovers two universes that we think distant and that finally look very similar. More than a comic book about wine, it is a graphic novel (because the format is almost similar to a book) that tells us above all about men, sharing and passion and that simply makes us want to go and open a good bottle between friends.

"A great forgotten Burgundy" by Emmanuel Guillot, Hervé Richez and Boris Guilloteau.

A great forgotten Burgundy | Emmanuel Guillot - Boris Guilloteau - Hervé Richez | Grand Angle - Bamboo

The story: "A great forgotten Burgundy" tells the adventure of Manu (Emmanuel Guillot), winemaker and son of a winemaker, who discovers one evening at a friend's house an extraordinary bottle of wine but without a label. For Manu, it's obvious: he has to find the vines that gave birth to this mysterious wine in order to replant the future plot he wants to buy in the Mâconnais. He then embarks on a quest that will quickly become obsessive to realize a dream, that of making a great wine in honor of his late father.

What we like in this comic : We quickly get attached to the character of Manu and we follow him in his quest for the unknown bottle, especially since the finesse of the drawings and the black and white (with sometimes a little red) of Boris Guilloteau make the reading of this comic particularly pleasant. Throughout the pages and the different tasting sessions of the famous mystery wine, we learn a little more about the wines of Burgundy and their specificities. Special mention to the last pages which allow us to go behind the scenes of the creation of the comic strip because Hervé Richez (co-scriptwriter with Emmanuel Guillot) explains his path and introduces us to the different protagonists staged in the story.

"Chronicles of the Vine" by Fred Bernard

Chronicles of the vine - conversations with my grandfather | Fred Bernard | Glénat

The story: Grandson and great-grandson of winegrowers in Savigny-lès-Beaune, Fred Bernard preferred Fine Arts to wine making but his passion for wine has never died out. One day he decided to write a book about wine and asked his 90-year-old maternal grandfather to tell him about his love of wine and the terroir. Thus were born these "Chronicles of the Vine", a series of short stories based on the anecdotes of Fred Bernard's ancestors and his personal reflections on wine and wine tasting.

What we like about this comic: We immediately get attached to this colourful grandfather that Fred Bernard depicts with great tenderness. A grandfather who gives us many anecdotes, often very funny, and thanks to whom we learn a lot about the vine. The humorous texts of this comic book and the lightness of the drawings mixing pen and watercolour make this 152-page graphic novel easy to read. In the end, it is a beautiful journey into the world of wine for wine lovers, but also for those who love family and transmission stories.

"Châteaux Bordeaux" of Corbeyran and Espé

Châteaux Bordeaux | Corbeyran - Espé | Glénat

The story : Following the death of their father, the three Baudricourt children inherit the family winery, located in the heart of the Médoc. The two brothers want to sell quickly but their younger sister Alexandra, who knows nothing about wine, wants to take over the family estate. Over the course of her albums (the 6th volume of this comic book was released in September 2015), we follow her in her discovery of the very particular environment of Bordeaux wines and in her fight to revive a once prestigious cru classé.

What we like about this comic book:If we can not hang with the too romanticized side of this family saga, we must nevertheless salute the work of Corbeyran who succeeds in introducing new ideas and new ideas.didactic elements on the different aspects of wine (grape varieties, winemaking, the vintage effect, etc.), without making the story too heavy. As for the visualization by Espé, it brings dynamism to the whole. In short, we have a good time with this comic and we learn a little more about the Bordeaux wine scene.

If you appreciate Corbeyran's work, you should know that he has just finished a new trilogy which this time does not talk about wine but about cognac. The first opus of this series, entitled "La Part des démons", was presented at the Angoulême festival.

Châteaux Bordeaux | Corbeyran - Espé | Glénat

"The wine" by Sylvain Frécon & Murielle Rousseau

Ça m'intéresse - Tome 1 Le vin | Sylvain Frecon - Muriellle Rousseau | Dargaud

The story : The Dargaud publishing house has joined forces with the magazine 'Ça m'intéresse' to produce this comic book about wine. We follow Professor FAQ and Dr. Stella who take us on a discovery of French vineyards to answer almost all the questions we have about wine: its origins, its terroirs, its method of production, etc...

What we like in this comic : Both funny and detailed, this fiction allows you to learn more about wine in a very playful way. Murielle Rousseau's explanations are clear without being boring and Sylvain Frécon's humorous and lively trait makes the whole thing lively and easy to access. In short, a perfect album to learn about wine while having fun!

Are you convinced that wine and comic books go well together? If so, you now have something to occupy some of your winter evenings!

Maïlys (VeryWineTrip)