On October 21, a post surfaced on an online community alleging that a wine vintage was swapped at Chef Ahn's restaurant.
The author, identified as A, claimed that during a visit on October 18, the wine served did not match the ordered vintage. According to A, the sommelier described the wine as a '2005' vintage, but the pairing list indicated it was '2000'. A noticed the discrepancy in taste and aroma, leading to the discovery of the vintage difference.
The issue is compounded by a price difference of approximately $100 between the two vintages. A stated, "Upon requesting confirmation, the sommelier later claimed there was a separate 2000 vintage bottle," raising suspicions of prior awareness of the error.
A further expressed disappointment, noting, "It's questionable for a Michelin two-star restaurant to make such a mistake, but the response of offering a taste instead of an apology was more disappointing."
In response to the controversy, the restaurant issued an apology on their official social media on October 23. They stated, "We apologize for the confusion caused by not providing accurate guidance during the wine pairing service," and mentioned that they had apologized to the customer, who graciously accepted it.
However, the apology sparked further criticism for not addressing the core issue of 'wine swapping'. Critics argue that describing it as a lack of guidance rather than intentional deceit is an understatement.
Additionally, A and their party claimed they did not receive an apology at the scene, contradicting the restaurant's statement that the apology was accepted.
Netizens criticized the apology for lacking details on the sommelier's accountability, compensation for the affected party, and specific measures to prevent recurrence, calling it "hollow."
Chef Sungjae Ahn, a Korean-American chef, gained recognition through the 2024 Netflix series 'Black and White Chef'. He specializes in fine dining and has a branch of the controversial restaurant in Hong Kong.
By Dayeon Jeong, TenAsia Reporter light@tenasia.co.kr