From the ArcaMax Publishing, Trivia Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/trivia/s-439565-306679
In Japan, a gruesome TV drama series, "Shitsurakuen" (or, "Paradise Lost"), popularized the drinking of red wine. The Japanese demand for red wine exploded when the show's main characters committed suicide by mixing poison with Chateau Margaux. Many Japanese wine drinkers switched from the preferred white to red after the 1997 TV episode aired. Advertising agencies said the macabre show not only pushed red wine sales, but wine glass sales also rose.
This news arrived on: 11/07/2008