Ahn Sung-jae apologizes over Mosu wine controversy

May 07, 2026, 09:01 am

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Chef Ahn Sung-jae. /Ahn Sung-jae Instagram

Chef Ahn Sung-jae has publicly apologized following a controversy involving wine service at fine-dining restaurant Mosu.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Ahn said he “deeply apologizes” for disappointing customers due to inadequate service at the restaurant and added that he takes “full responsibility as the owner chef” for everything that happened at Mosu.

The controversy began on April 18 when a customer who ordered a wine pairing was reportedly served a 2005 vintage wine instead of the promised 2000 vintage.

According to reports, the sommelier recognized the mistake but failed to immediately inform the customer. When the guest later requested a photo of the wine bottle, the restaurant allegedly showed a bottle of the 2000 vintage rather than the wine actually served.

The response afterward also drew criticism. The sommelier reportedly provided inaccurate explanations and made inappropriate remarks instead of offering a sufficient apology while attempting to resolve the issue.

The restaurant later tried to settle the matter by additionally serving a 2000 vintage wine and offering dessert wine free of charge.

Ahn acknowledged that “every stage, from the mistake itself to the response afterward, was inappropriate,” adding that the sommelier involved had been removed from wine service duties to prevent a recurrence.

The incident gained wider attention after wine-focused YouTuber Wine King strongly criticized the case in a video released on May 3.

Wine King argued that “the biggest victim may not have been the customer who raised the complaint, but another customer on a different floor who may have ordered the same wine by the bottle.”

He specifically questioned the restaurant’s explanation that the 2000 vintage bottle had been located on the first floor, saying that if the bottle belonged to another customer, bringing it to a different table or using it for explanation purposes would itself be problematic.

“In that case, this may not simply be a mistake but could amount to wine fraud,” he said.

However, Wine King added that his comments were a personal analysis based on the assumption that publicly known information about the incident was accurate.

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