"'Wine Fraud' Ahn Sung-jae, 'You will never escape this situation'... Actively searching for additional victim '1st-floor guest' [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Wine YouTuber Wine King (real name Lee Jae-hyung) publicly criticized the wine controversy surrounding Chef Ahn Sung-jae's Michelin 2-star restaurant Mosu Seoul (hereinafter Mosu), labeling it 'Wine Fraud'.

Wine King, who has 680,000 subscribers, posted a video titled 'There are likely more victims' on his YouTube channel on the 3rd, addressing the recent wine controversy at Mosu. Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, Mosu admitted to the suspicion of 'wine swapping' and issued an apology.

In the video, Wine King introduced himself by saying, "I speak eight languages, hold a master's degree in wine marketing from ESA in Angers, France, a master's degree in viticulture from Valencia, Spain, and a master's degree in enology from Bologna University in Italy, which has a 1,000-year history. I have worked in the wine industry for over 20 years."

He continued, "I have received many questions regarding the Mosu wine swapping incident. Over 1,500 comments were posted. After investigating various materials and looking into it in detail, I reached a conclusion I never expected. It is a shocking conclusion. It appears that a serious problem has deeply taken root. This is my subjective analysis based solely on information available in the media, assuming that information is factual. My thoughts may not all be correct."

Soon after, Wine King shared an analysis that drew attention: "It seems no one is currently considering this fact. In my view, the biggest victim of the Mosu wine fraud incident is not the 2nd-floor guest who raised the issue, but the 1st-floor guest who ordered the same wine by the bottle and was quietly drinking it. What is most terrifying is that the 1st-floor guest likely does not yet realize they are a victim. That is my opinion."

He pointed out, "The 2000 vintage wine should have been served to the 2nd-floor guest, but wasn't the 2005 vintage wine served in the glass? That is my reasoning, and a very terrible fact is hidden here. To understand this, one must know how wine is served in Michelin 2-star and 3-star restaurants."

He further explained, "In Michelin restaurants, sommeliers collect wine bottles from guests and store them in a distant location for management. When a guest's wine glass appears empty, they bring a new bottle and serve it. That is why I have been saying for 10 years, 'Why do I buy a bottle of wine, yet it is hidden away and served from a place I cannot see? I wish the wine bottle were placed on the table.' This serving method hides the biggest problem."

Wine King argued, "Naturally, wine ordered by the bottle should be served entirely to the guest. However, in this Mosu incident, they showed the 2000 bottle that was on the 1st floor, saying, 'I brought it up, this is that bottle.' This wine was purchased by the 1st-floor guest. The sommelier said, 'I will let you taste it,' but this carries a truly terrible meaning. It implies, 'You do not have the right to taste this vintage wine; I am pouring it for you at my discretion. Because this is the wine ordered by the 1st-floor guest. So, just as we taste this wine, we will let you taste it.' Analyzing this flow and action leads to that conclusion. That is my analysis. Even after thinking about it, I cannot find any other answer. The sommelier used the wine purchased by the 1st-floor guest to do a favor for the 2nd-floor guest."

In particular, Wine King strongly condemned, "In my view, this is absolutely not a mistake. The bottle labels are completely different. The label designs for the 2000 and 2005 vintages are entirely different. Anyone with even a slight interest in wine would notice the labels are too different to miss. How can this be a mistake?"

He then explained, "It is highly likely that Mosu had only one bottle of 2000 vintage wine in stock. That was my impression when I visited Mosu; it did not seem like a place that stocks a lot of wine. It appears this incident occurred when a vintage wine listed on the wine pairing list was unexpectedly ordered by the bottle. That wine costs 790,000 won per bottle. The sommelier likely thought that whether it was the 2000 or 2005 vintage, it is a good vintage wine from the same family, so serving this (2005) would likely go unnoticed, and no one would file a complaint. However, this act constitutes 'wine fraud.' While this concept may be unfamiliar to us, it is a practice carried out frequently internationally. There is even a proper noun, a specific term, called 'Wine Fraud'."

He continued, "You may wonder, 'How can someone serve another person's wine at will and let another guest taste it? How is this possible in a Michelin restaurant?' But if you understand the wine serving structure in Michelin restaurants, it will be easier to comprehend. Just because you pay money and buy a bottle of wine, it does not mean the bottle is entirely yours. At least in the Michelin restaurants I know, this is the case. They open it themselves, pour it at their discretion, taste it, and check it. It seems they consider wine serving to be the sommelier's complete domain and right. That is why such absurd situations occur. If this were the Middle Ages, it would be understandable. It was a medieval custom to serve the owner after tasting, as the wines were often in a vinegar-like state and poorly managed. That practice has continued to this day. Now, wine bottles are properly made, labels are correctly attached, and guests know more about wine."

Wine King added, "Above all, isn't the wine something the guest paid for? If so, at the very least, they should ask the guest before tasting. The right belongs 100% to the guest. I believe that the better the restaurant, the more they should offer the guest a choice: 'Would you like to taste it yourself, or shall I do it?' However, Michelin restaurants do not do this. They pour and taste at their discretion in places out of sight. Most Michelin restaurant guests are intimidated by the shadow of the Michelin star name and end up eating what is given. You must gently request to dine without anxiety. If that were done, incidents like Mosu's wine fraud would not occur."

Furthermore, Wine King stated, "Chef Ahn Sung-jae is an extraordinary chef, and I believe he is a chef who made a historic mark in our country. However, he is at fault for not managing the restaurant well enough. And if you are an owner chef operating a Michelin restaurant, you must pay attention to the wine list and manage it, even if you dislike it or have to force yourself. Otherwise, you will never escape this situation."

In response, netizens expressed their disappointment, saying things like, "I've never seen wine being passed around like this before," "This is a 2-star restaurant?", "In short, the sommelier committed fraud against two teams of guests simultaneously: 2nd-floor pairing fraud and unauthorized use of the 1st-floor guest's bottle," "Although the price difference of the wine is 100,000 won, the image, trust, and value of the restaurant have collectively plummeted by over 1 billion won. When evaluating dishes, they are strict and remove anything that doesn't meet the criteria, but the way the restaurant is operated seems completely different. Trust has vanished not only for the restaurant and for the person Ahn Sung-jae, but also for the Michelin name," "Mosu really needs to reflect," and "Chef Ahn Sung-jae's Mosu is shocking."

Finally, comments are pouring in searching for additional victims, such as, "The 1st-floor guest who was given the vintage wine for free has not yet appeared," "Please, 1st-floor guest, watch this video," and "We are looking for the customer who ordered a bottle of Chateau Léoville Barton Saint-Julien 2000 vintage on the 1st floor of Mosu on Saturday, April 18, 2026."

Meanwhile, Chef Ahn Sung-jae gained fame while serving as a judge for the OTT series 'Black and White Cooking Lisa: Cooking Class War' alongside Baek Jong-won, CEO of The Good One Korea and a broadcaster.

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*This content was translated by AI.