I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 206



Only Krnovel

206 I will never leave you alone

“Vincent. Did you really have to sell the wine to Segreto? What… what if something goes wrong?”

At a winery outside Long Island City, Javier says he is tasting the finished wine.

“It’s rare for a chef to taste wines that go into a restaurant. It was a risk worth taking. Thanks to this, I was able to open a route to China, so stop whining like a brat.”

Vincent shakes his head at Javier.

China’s rich are crazy about Bordeaux and Burgundy wines.

One important reason was that a few bottles of wine could easily cover the price of an apartment in Beijing, but more than that, their endless vanity and desire were so vulgar that even Vincent, who had seen countless human beings, was impressed.

To sell wine to them, the trading track record of Chateau Petrus and Romanee-Conti, the most preferred wines by the Chinese, was essential.

“You clever chinks. What? You’re only going to deal with companies with a trustworthy track record, in case they’re fake?”

Asia is a heaven-sent market for counterfeit wine.

The rapid economic growth has created a large number of nouveau riche, and the number of experts who can detect fakes is very small, and the desire to show off on such topics is more intense than in any other country in the world.

But they are not stupid, so they asked for reliable references.

If it’s a restaurant run by a chef famous for his exquisite taste, then they’ll be satisfied with it.

‘Originally I wanted to deliver the genuine product, but… .’

Of all the wines I wanted from Segreto, there was one that they didn’t have in stock: the 2005 vintage of Romatte-Conti.

Vincent, not wanting to take an unnecessary risk, suggested other years’ Romanée-Conti vintages that were available, but was told they were all in good quantities.

‘Still, this is enough.’

Vincent, who was an ordinary sommelier, was able to become a big shot in the wine industry thanks to his meeting with Javier.

Twelve years ago, Vincent saw a scrap of news in the local newspaper about a perfumer who had been caught counterfeiting luxury perfume at home.

Vincent’s head started spinning after reading the police interview about how the counterfeit perfume was so sophisticated that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

He became close to him by giving him money for his stay in prison, and occasionally took care of his family. He laid the groundwork for his business by planning it for the remaining five years until his release.

Wine counterfeiting is a very old business.

But as time passed and science advanced, the old methods became no longer applicable.

Diethylene glycol, commonly used as a sweetener to flavor counterfeit wine, can be easily detected with just potassium iodide and barium chloride solutions.

Artificial coloring used to match the color and citric acid used to adjust the acidity can be easily detected with just one run of a mass spectrometer.

Vincent, a sommelier, was well aware of the industry’s circumstances and the moment he met Javier, he figured out a way to avoid it.

Javier, a brilliant perfumer, combined six wines based on Echézeaux, a wine produced in vineyards adjacent to Romanée-Conti, to create a wine that had a flavor almost identical to Romanée-Conti.

But there was still a problem. The color was different. Using coloring agents was something that only third-rate people would do.

Anthocyanin, the pigment in red wine, also exists in blueberries, mulberries, and sweet potatoes, and can be extracted without difficulty using simple equipment.

The oak flavor was achieved by placing oak chips in a micro-oxygenation tank and maturing them for a short period of time, and the body was adjusted by adding a small amount of glycerin.

These were all ingredients that also exist in genuine wine, so it was a perfect fake that even a mass spectrometer could not tell the authenticity.

Surprisingly, the most problematic thing was tannin.

This has a great impact on the astringency and texture of the wine, and the higher the quality of French wine, the higher the tannin content tends to be.

Even the average person with a sensitive palate can tell the difference if you use tannin powder. Vincent solved this problem by pressing grape seeds to extract tannin. However, an experienced sommelier will feel a sense of incongruity.

‘It doesn’t matter. Wine spoils easily anyway. This level of quality is more than 95% identical to the genuine article.’

Their business was initially small-scale, as obtaining bottles of high-quality wine was not as easy as it might seem. Famous premium wineries even strictly control the factories that produce their bottles to prevent counterfeiting.

Vincent personally traveled to France and, after much effort, was able to bribe the factory’s employees who were disposing of bottles classified as defective.

But the work wasn’t over yet. They needed someone to counterfeit labels and capsules. High-priced wines also needed to have provenance.

Vincent decided to take a risk and hire a professional counterfeiter.

“Gary, are you sure about the label?”

Wheeing.

Labels are printed on a high-resolution printer.

It took time and effort to implement paper with the same thickness and texture as the original. It was also not easy to analyze the capsules to match the ingredients and achieve the same color and texture.

Gary made the molds himself and even engraved the logo and text with precision.

“Don’t worry about it. From my perspective of getting a passport or a green card (US permanent resident), this is child’s play. Don’t worry, I can never tell the difference.”

The bottles created by Gary’s hands were of such perfect quality that, true to his word, even Vincent himself could not tell the difference.

Vincent founded a wine distribution company and began selling a mixture of genuine wine and his own fakes.

Since the production of high-quality French wines is very limited, the ability to secure quantity directly affects the reputation of the distributor.

It was around this time that wealthy people from overseas began to approach Vincent, who was gradually becoming known. They chose wine as a window through which to launder dirty money.

Before he knew it, he had become a big shot in the wine industry, but only through his nominal dealings.

If you supply wine to Walmart or Total Wine & More (the largest liquor store in the U.S.), you can scale up quickly. But if the counterfeit wine is accessible to the general public, the risk becomes unmanageable. Among them may be MS (Master Sommeliers). This is not what Vincent wanted.

To grow, you have to have a foot in both the shade and the sun. Vincent sought to find a way into restaurants and auctions.

Fine dining establishments with 3 Michelin stars were not easy to approach because they often had direct contact with wineries or had long-standing business relationships.

He had no choice but to supply wine to small restaurants, and he felt an unbearable thirst because they could not guarantee the company’s reliability.

A new but world-renowned restaurant, Segreto was the perfect match, exceeding all the criteria.

Except that the owner-chef of the restaurant has an absolute taste buds.

Vincent had to deliver fakes because of those damn Chinese guys. He was determined never to take that risk again.

* * *

“I got it from Vincent Wine Merchants. They’ve been distributing wine in New York for quite some time and they have a lot of stock.”

Jenny takes out a catalog and hands it to me.

“Vincent Wine Merchant….”

The catalogue contained most of the representative wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. When I turned the page, I saw the resume of the representative.

Graduated from the Bordeaux Wine School (École du Vin de Bordeaux) in France.

Obtained a Diploma from the London Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET).

Supplying wine to over 60 restaurants in New York since 5 years ago.

He has a clean resume. When I searched his name, I found out that he has published a wine guidebook. He has also held a master class on high-end wine tasting and served as a judge at an international wine competition.

“You’re a real son of a bitch.”

“huh?”

“Jenny, why did you think this wine was weird?”

“The aftertaste was different. There was no earthy flavor that I felt when I tasted it before.

“The bitter aftertaste was a bit off-putting, and I was worried that it might be a Bouchonne (wine with a spoiled cork), so I held on to it for now.”

“Good job. You were able to tell the difference because you are a skilled sommelier.

This is a surprisingly sophisticated counterfeit. DRC makes wine from Pinot Noir, but it contains five other varieties.

“Since the base is Pinot Noir wine, even an average sommelier would have been fooled. Of course, the customers would have no way of knowing.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’m surprised too. And yet, the scent and flavor are so amazingly imitated. The tannins and alcohol content are almost the same. Seeing as there are no artificial ingredients, even if you verify it with a mass spectrometer, you won’t be able to confirm its authenticity.”

Of course, it’s not like there is no way at all.

Carbon-14 dating can be used to date organic matter in wine, while strontium-90 analysis can be used to determine the strontium concentration in the soil where the grapes were grown.

However, the producers have cleverly used Pinot Noir as their base, so there is a high probability that they will be able to avoid this.

Ultimately, we need to request a Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA), which requires a nuclear reactor, which means it costs a lot of money.

“I have about 200 other bottles of wine that I received from this company. Should I return them?”

“Stop selling them all. I’ll look into them. For now, I’ll bring the 2000 vintage to the customer who’s waiting.”

It’s a more expensive wine than I ordered, but I have to keep a bottle of the 2005 vintage, if only for comparison.

After the business was over, I went back to the lab to run the mass spectrometer.

Jiiiiiing.

The results table is printed out.

“This is crazy.”

There is no significant difference in the results between the two samples.

I won’t be able to report it to the police. I can’t claim that my taste buds are evidence, right?

I opened 10 random bottles of wine I received from Vincent Wine Merchant and they were all authentic.

Could it be that Vincent had also been tricked by a counterfeiter? He needed to be sure.

Ring ring ring.

-I’m Vincent Wine Merchant.

When I called the number listed in the catalog, a young woman answered the phone.

“Hello. I run a restaurant and would like to receive wine. Is this really the company that supplies to about 60 restaurants?”

-Yes, that’s right. We have a large stock of fine wines that are hard to find in other companies. And the number of restaurants that are doing business with us is increasing.

“Are there any restaurants among them whose names I might recognize?”

-Um… There aren’t any very famous places, but the Italian restaurant Laila in Brooklyn is quite famous. Aside from that, Frangina Artie is also a beloved restaurant in Queens.

I took note of those restaurants and visited them in person.

“Please give me a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 2005 vintage.”

The server becomes even more polite, perhaps because I ordered a two thousand dollar bottle of wine.

The sommelier shows me the label and then deftly removes the capsule and cork.

“Please confirm.”

I asked him to taste the wine. The sommelier’s expression brightened, and he poured a small amount of wine into my glass and tasted it.

“That’s normal. Have a nice dinner.”

I lift the glass and let the light shine through it. The deep, ruby-colored wine is overflowing inside the glass. I swirl the wine and smell it, and it is no different from the real thing.

Drink the wine slowly, taking half a sip and rolling it around in your mouth.

The aromas of blackcurrant (known as the king of berries), plum, and concentrated fruit fill the mouth. You can feel the aromas of vanilla and cloves created by oak aging. And the body you can feel.

The main grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon.

Bordeaux wine is made by blending three to five grapes depending on the year, but the base is always Cabernet Sauvignon. The chocolate flavor that follows is a phenomenon that comes from aging Merlot.

The scent of figs lightly passes over my tongue.

This flavor is unique to the Zinfandel variety.

“Bingo! Got it.”

Zinfandel is a grape grown only in California.

Chateau Mouton Rothschild is a full-bodied wine with high tannin content. To balance this, they would have blended it with wine made from Zinfandel, which is characterized by strong tannins.

Fake wine of such quality that it even fools sommeliers. It’s ridiculous.

I picked up the bottle and examined the label and cork closely. The craftsmanship was truly amazing.

Segreto is already widely known as one of the best wine lists in New York.

Expensive wine always carries a risk of being counterfeited, so even the wealthy are reluctant to drink it, but at our restaurant, everyone can enjoy wine with peace of mind.

They ordered wine at the risk of my taste buds.

By the way, it is known that fake wine was sold in Segreto?

Clearly we would have suffered irreparable damage.

Anger is rising.

I will never leave you alone.