The Kpop Otaku's Dream

I laugh at the funny expressions they make, "It"s just money you know"

"How is that even right remotely correct? Dylan I think there"s something wrong , look they charged you 99 million won per bottle of wine"

"Hyung, if you look correctly. That"s only after the discount. It"s usually 200 million won per bottle!"

Tiffany does a spit take mid drink "Wait ! Dylan you are saying this (she points at the 12 l bottle) is 200 million won?"

"Yeah, and you just wasted a 10k bill right there"

"How is that even possible?" Tiffany speaks up again, asking the question that"s on everyone"s minds.

"Can you pa.s.s me the bottle" I ask, as I get ready to give them a little history lesson

Yoona hastily drags the all black bottle over and hands it to me. This thing has a bit of weight. She really is quite strong. Remind me never to make her mad

Running my fingers across the engraving I read out loud., "Château Margaux 2009, Premier grand cru cla.s.sé "

"Château Margaux ..." I pause, keeping everyone on the edge of their seat, "is one of the most prestigious wineries in the world. Located in Bordeaux, France, its wines are authentic and subtle works of art that can impress the most demanding palates. They have been present, for centuries, at the sumptuous banquets and celebrations of the major European monarchies. In the early 19th century, they were so highly appreciated they even became mandatory in the personal cellar of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States."

"I get that but this bottle is from this year, it"s still young. How can it be so expensive" Hyun-joong questions

"I see you know a little bit about wine Hyung but you are quite wrong there"

"How so?" He asks genuinely interested

Looking at him, I realize that while I may not like the fact that his trying to woo Chae-won. His not been that bad of a guy. A bit pretentious and clearly not someone I can get along with but .... not completely an a.r.s.e hat.

" You may be under the impression that some wines are simply older than others or made with a higher quality of ingredients, but the truth is that there are three main factors that contribute to how expensive a bottle of wine might be: oak, terroir and time."

"Oak: The most desired wines are aged in oak. The reason that winemakers put their wine in oak barrels is that it lends oaky notes to the wine while exposing it to oxygen at the same time. When wine is exposed to oxygen, the tannins lose some of its intensity and the overall taste of the wine is made that much smoother. When oxygen penetrates the oak barrels, a bit of the wine actually evaporates at roughly two percent a year, which is known as the "angel"s share."

Terrior: a truly delicious wine is made right in the vineyard. One of the reasons that wineries try to make sure that there are as few grapes as possible on the vine is so that those grapes will be more flavorful, which means that the wines will be more intense. Think about it, would a business owner rather have four or five of the absolute best workers or eight or ten average workers? This is a case were less is most definitely more.

Time: It"s quite true that an older wine is usually more expensive than a younger wine, but you should be aware that this adage only applies to red wines. What happens when time pa.s.ses and a wine starts to age is that time alters the overall flavor of the fruit in the wine. When it comes to well-aged wines, you can expect to spend a dollar for every year that it was aged. The reason for this is that it takes both s.p.a.ce and money to make sure that a wine is properly aged.

Do you guys understand?"

The just nod their head after my cla.s.s, much like students would when a professor asks if there is any questions at the end of his lecture

"So you are telling me, this wine is special" Hyun-joong is still skeptical

Twirling the heavy bottle in my hand, I play with it a bit before answering

"Château Margaux 2009 is considered one of the best vintages since the Mentzelopoulos family a.s.sumed owners.h.i.+p in 1977. It is a wine of wonderful concentration and finesse that owes its unique qualities to the excellent properties of the region and the pa.s.sionate work of a succession of generations that continue to live in the land and care for its wines. This extraordinary vintage is the result of a combination of factors that rarely come together in the same wine: finesse, elegance, complexity, density, intensity, duration and freshness.

It is made with 87% cabernet sauvignon grapes and the rest are primarily merlot with small amounts of cabernet franc and pet.i.t verdot. Robert M. Parker, a world-renown wine expert, has referred to the Château Margaux 2009, as "rich, round, generous and unusually accessible for a young Margaux"."

Yoona, turns to me and says "You know a lot about wine. Don"t tell me you drink that often"

I look at her with a face of fake disgust, "Of-course not...." I pause for a bit, "But I know Google"

Tiffany is the first to speak up, "Hey ! So you were just faking being a wine expert. And here I was beginning to be impressed"

SooYoung shares her sentiments, "Yah, dongseang come here (she motions like a gangster) You need to learn a lesson"

"Hey, no violence. I have to protect the money maker!" I laugh at her threat

"Miss Skysc.r.a.per, If you dare lay a hand on Dylan. You probably going to be kicked out of the group. Don"t say I didn"t warn you" Yoona says

"What do you mean?" SooYoung asks back