Did Mosu Serve the Wrong Wine? Shocking Details of the 2000 vs. 2005 Vintage Controversy

Mosu, the restaurant run by celebrity chef Ahn Seong-jae, issued an official apology after facing accusations that it served the wrong wine vintage.

On April 23, Mosu posted a statement on its official channel addressing the wine-switching controversy.

Mosu said, \”We bow our heads and apologize for the recently reported incident.\” The statement explained that on April 19, during a wine-pairing service, staff failed to provide correct information to a guest, which caused confusion, and their follow-up explanation was insufficient, leaving the guest deeply disappointed.

The restaurant added, \”We apologized separately to the guest after the incident, and they accepted our apology generously. Still, we acknowledge that our response fell short of the expectations customers have for our restaurant.\”

\”Chef Ahn Seong-jae and the entire Mosu team take this matter very seriously,\” the statement continued. \”We will review all related services and work to prevent a recurrence.\”

On April 21, a user identified as A posted on a Naver Cafe forum claiming, \”Mosu Seoul served me a different wine vintage.\”

The poster said they visited on April 18 with acquaintances and noticed the issue while going through the wine-pairing course.

According to A, the wine meant to accompany the hanwoo (Korean beef) main course was listed as a 2000 vintage but the staff served a 2005 vintage. They said differences in aroma and flavor tipped them off, so they checked the pairing list and found the mismatch.

A also pointed to suspicious behavior during service. When they asked to photograph the wine, the sommelier briefly left the table and later returned, placing a bottle labeled as the 2000 vintage. A suggested this indicated staff may already have known about the vintage discrepancy.

A further complaint said the sommelier told them, \”There was a 2000 bottle on the first floor. We’ll let you taste that bottle as well,\” which the diner found unsatisfactory.

The controversy intensified after reports noted a market-price difference of over 100,000 KRW (approximately 75 USD) between the two vintages. A said, \”Mistakes happen, but it’s hard to understand how this could occur at a two-Michelin-star restaurant,\” and added, \”They offered no apology that day. Their handling and response were very disappointing.\”

The full statement from Mosu follows:

Hello, this is Mosu Seoul.

We sincerely apologize for the incident that recently came to light on online communities.

On April 19, 2026, during our wine-pairing service, we failed to provide accurate information to a guest, which caused confusion. We also did not offer a sufficient explanation in our subsequent response, and we sincerely apologize for the deep disappointment this caused.

After the incident, we apologized to the guest directly, and they accepted our apology. However, we accept that this response did not meet the expectations diners place on our restaurant.

Chef Ahn Seong-jae and the entire Mosu team take this matter very seriously. We will review all related services and promise to prevent a recurrence. We will not offer a perfunctory apology; we will rebuild trust with our guests through sincere action.

We apologize once again to all our customers who have shown consistent trust and affection for Mosu Seoul.

April 23, 2026

The Mosu Seoul team