"'Wine Fraud' Ahn Sung-jae, will never escape this situation"... Searching for additional victims, '1st-floor guests' intensifies [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 will be more victims" on his YouTube channel on the 3rd, addressing the recent wine controversy at Chef Ahn Sung-jae's Mosu. Previously, 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: "I speak eight languages, hold a master's degree in wine marketing from the ESA Graduate School in Angers, France, a master's degree in viticulture from the Valencia Graduate School in 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 permeated this issue. This is my subjective analysis based 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. And the most terrifying point is that the 1st-floor guest may still not realize they are a victim. That is my opinion."

He stated, "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 bring wine bottles to a distant location and manage them there. When a guest's wine glass appears empty, they bring it over to serve wine. 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, the problem at Mosu was that 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 by the bottle. The sommelier said, 'I will let you taste it,' but this carries a truly terrible meaning. It means, 'You do not have the right to taste this vintage wine; I am pouring it for you at my discretion. Because this is 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 criticized, "In my view, this is absolutely not a mistake. The bottle labels are completely different. The label designs for 2000 and 2005 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 seems this incident occurred when a vintage that was 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 2000 or 2005, it is a good vintage wine from the same family, so serving this (2005) would not be noticed by most guests, and no one would file a complaint. However, this act constitutes 'wine fraud.' While this concept of 'wine fraud' may be unfamiliar to us, it is a behavior that occurs 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 other guests taste it? How is this possible in a Michelin restaurant?' But if you understand the wine serving structure in Michelin restaurants, it will be easy to understand. Just because you pay money and buy wine, the bottle does not become entirely yours. At least, this is the case in all Michelin restaurants I know. They open it themselves, pour it at will, 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 to see if there was a problem with wines that were close to vinegar 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 said, "Above all, isn't the wine something the guest paid for? Then, 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 it should offer the guest a choice option: 'Would you like to taste it yourself, or shall I do it for you?' However, Michelin restaurants do not do this. They pour and taste at their own discretion in places out of sight. Most Michelin restaurant guests are intimidated by the shadow of the Michelin star name. Most end up eating what is given. You should gently request that you can dine without anxiety. If you do that, 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 mark in our country's history. 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 are forced to. Otherwise, you will never be able to escape this situation."

In response, netizens expressed their disappointment, saying things like, "I've never seen wine being swapped before," "This is a 2-star restaurant?" "In summary, 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 wine price difference is 100,000 won, the image, trust, and restaurant value have collectively plummeted by over 1 billion won. When evaluating dishes, they are strict and remove those that don't meet the criteria, but the way the restaurant is operated seems completely different. It seems trust has vanished regarding the restaurant, regarding the person Ahn Sung-jae, and regarding the Michelin name," "Mosu really needs to reflect," "Chef Ahn Sung-jae's Mosu is shocking," and more.

Finally, comments pouring in to find additional victims include, "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 Chateau Léoville Barton Saint-Julien 2000 vintage bottle 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.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.