Apple TV+ Original Limited Series
SO DON’T START THIS SHOW while on maternity leave. Watching
characters swirl, sip, and savor wine in French vineyards so ripe that you can
taste the sunshine in the grapes is enough to ask your wide-eyed bundle of joy
if they’re ready for a whole food diet. France isn’t all you get in this
lusciously slow drama about daughter Camille (Fleur Geffrier) of a
world-renowned French sommelier, who finds herself pitted in a competition for
her inheritance against her father’s protégé (Tomohisa Yamashita). It’s deliciously
international, its own unique blend of television, as protégé Issei hails from
Japan, and we also get some Italy as well.
Camille is a wine savant, trained by her famous father
Alexandre Léger in the art of the senses to be able to identify most things
purely by smell. However, they have a falling out when her father pushes her
training too far, leaving her unable to drink wine without her body
experiencing extreme visceral reactions like nose bleeds. Issei is the son of
an old and esteemed family in Japan who run a lucrative diamond business. He is
immediately endearing, doesn’t suffer fools, and is graciously humble. Next to
Camille’s sometimes impetuous and juvenile decision-making, he’s quite easy to
root for, especially as he navigates his family’s disapproval of his wine
passion. However, his mother may have her own reasons for so vehemently
discouraging him from competing when Issei is named as a possible heir to the
fortune of his late mentor Léger. Camille and Issei face of in three challenges
to test how well they know the essence of wine (and points for viewers who will
likely be able to guess the answer to the last riddle :D).
This show takes its time to develop the characters and their
back stories. At first I was impatient for Camille and Issei to have more
dialogue, since it’s not a high stakes contest without a bit of
mud-slinging—but thankfully when the pair do finally get screen time together,
they quickly make up for lost ground and establish a complex and meaningful
relationship. I did find that Camille’s aversion to drinking to the point of
manifesting physical symptoms to be too easily resolved though. Two side
characters, Lorenzo (Luca Terracciano) and Miyabi (Kyoko Takenaka), who aid
Camille in her quest to beat Issei, also stole the show at times with their
effable charm. There are lots of great cultural immersion, exploration of
traditions, and different views of wine and the sometimes snobbish hierarchy
that can make or break the livelihoods of enologists (wine makers).
The scenery is stunning, gorgeous people abound, and there’s a satisfying conclusion. All in all, a wonderful way to spend an afternoon imagining yourself relaxing and enjoying life in the French countryside. For those longing for more, this TV show was inspired by the Manga series written by Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto.
