Controversy over "wine switching" is spreading at the restaurant Mosu Seoul (hereafter Mosu), run by chef Anh Sung-jae. The allegation is that the restaurant served a cheaper wine than what was listed on the menu when providing the tasting menu and did not offer a proper apology. In the end, Mosu issued an official apology, saying it would "reexamine all aspects of our service."
The controversy began on the 21st when a post titled "Was subjected to wine switching at Mosu" was uploaded to an online community. The poster's party used the "wine pairing" at Mosu, a fine-dining restaurant in Yongsan District, Seoul, on the 18th. It is a service where wines suited to the tasting menu are served together.
The menu the poster ordered stated that the wine "Chateau Leoville Barton Saint-Julien 2000 vintage" would be served, but in reality, a "Chateau Leoville Barton Saint-Julien 2005" was brought out. The 2005 vintage is 100,000 won cheaper per bottle than the 2000 wine.
The poster, who noticed the wine change, raised the issue, but the staff reportedly responded without an apology, saying, "Then we'll let you taste the 2000 vintage as well."
Only after the issue spread online did Mosu bow its head. On the 23rd, Mosu said on social media (SNS) Instagram, "We sincerely apologize for causing confusion because we did not provide accurate guidance to the customer during the wine pairing service and for greatly disappointing you by failing to offer sufficient explanation during the subsequent response process."
It added, "Our entire Mosu team, including chef Anh Sung-jae, is taking this matter very seriously. We will review our service overall and promise to prevent any recurrence," and explained, "We will not stop at a performative apology but will rebuild trust with our customers with a sincere attitude."