In Giappone, Corea e dintorni ha contribuito a renderlo un prodotto popolarissimo tra i giovani. Quando si tratta di raggiungere certe fasce di winelovers (o potenziali tali), le strade da percorrere sono diverse da quelle abituali: new media o fumetti. Meglio se entrambi. Finora abbiamo parlato quasi solo dei primi, ora è tempo di dare spazio anche ai secondi, anzi a una iniziativa che vorrebbe legare i fumetti al vino.

Andes wine è un wine web site molto popolare in America Latina e per incoraggiare il talento e la creatività dei wine lovers di tutto il mondo, lancia per il secondo anno consecutivo l'International Wine Comic Competition. 

Chi può partecipare? chiunque sappia tenere una matita, un pennello, una penna in mano e sia in grado di produrre una strip (letteralmente, una striscia: in gergo fumettistico indica una sequenza di vignette) dove il vino svolge un ruolo da protagonista. 

Nel manga giapponese "Drops of God", assurto alla ribalta internazionale qualche tempo fa, il protagonista era impegnato in una specie di avventurosa caccia al tesoro, costituito dai 12 migliori vini del mondo.

Per saperne di più su questo curioso concorso, basta scrivere a andes@andeswines.com.

Di seguito, il comunicato stampa originale.

"In order to continue encouraging the talent and creativity of wine lovers and fans from around the world, Andes Wines is launching the II International Wine Comic Competition (II Concurso Internacional de Comics del Vino). And for second year in a row, the initiative is being sponsored by the Lukas Foundation in Valparaiso, dedicated to the works of cartoonist and artist Renzo Pecchenino.  

To enter, participants only need to send their work before the deadline expires on August 30, 2012 at midnight, Chile time.

This initiative is led by Andes Wines.com, the first wine culture website in Chile and Latin America. In its second version, the competition emerges as a result of the big success of comic strips about wine in Asia, particularly in Japan. 

This graphic culture of wine comic books is boosting wine sales in the region by reaching youth consumers and professionals over 25 years old who are just starting to learn about wine as an option to beer and other spirits.

The trend is led by renowned Japanese manga “Kami no Shizuku,” which translates to “The Drops of God”. The story tells about a fictional hero in a quest to find the 12 best wines the world in order to inherit his father’s priceless wine collection. The comic has been described as “The Da Vinci Code” of wine.

The competition is open to all people, from oenophiles to designers and oenology experts, from all over the world, who want to produce a comic strip with wine a focal point. 

Last year, the I International Wine Comic Competition awarded first prices to the comic strip “La Bodega Universal” (the universal cellar), by Spanish designer Juan Palacio.

The II International Wine Comic Competition is split into four categories:grape harvest, wine myths and legends, stories and wine characters. Those who are interested in participating can request the rules of the competition at andes@andeswines.com.  

The international spread of the competition has reached Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, the United States, Europe, and Asia.

The first prize will be awarded US$500 and the publication of the comic at http://www.andeswines.com, both in English and Spanish, in addition to many other rewards that will be informed during the next weeks".