Chapter 66: Golden Grain Soju House (1)
TL: Hanguk
A white mansion in Healdsburg, with the winding Russian River in full view and a wide swimming pool spread out in front. On 3,000 square meters of land, Sienna had just returned home, and her expression looked deeply conflicted.
"Something wrong?"
Her mother, Nora, was cooking in the kitchen when she noticed her daughter slumped on the couch looking sour. She asked without much concern.
"Nothing... What are you doing?"
"Making dinner. Didn't you say you weren't going to school today?"
"I didn't go to school. I went to Napa, to Redwood."
"Oh? Ah, that's right. Is the Redwood you went to the same Redwood as this one?"
Curious, Sienna lifted her head to see her mother holding up a brown bottle. Squinting, she looked closer and saw the label: 'Redwood Reserve Vinegar'.
"Ah... yeah, that's probably it. They said they were selling vinegar, but we have it in our house too? Is it any good?"
"Any good? Don't even get me started. Around here, the moms are saying you're behind the times if you don't have it. It was so hot last year... and this year everyone's stocking up two bottles at a time because they don't know when it'll sell out. I bought two bottles myself."
"... Is there really a reason to stock up on two bottles of vinegar?"
"Oh please... the flavor is different."
Already feeling troubled, Sienna stomped over and pulled out a teaspoon.
"Give me a little."
"I can't give you much anyway."
She wondered why anyone would be so stingy with vinegar, but curious, Sienna held up the teaspoon with a small drop of vinegar and brought it to her nose. A fragrant grape aroma cut through the tartness and filled her nostrils. Without hesitation, she brought the spoon to her mouth.
"Mmm~"
She could clearly feel a deep flavor, different from the ordinary vinegars she knew that were only sharp and sour. Sienna blinked a few times, then examined the label more carefully.
"Different, right?"
"Yeah. How does vinegar have this kind of flavor? It really feels like grapes concentrated into vinegar."
"Around here, everyone's been using it to make chicken breast salad for their diets. The salad's amazing."
"......"
"Should I make you some?"
"No."
"Suit yourself."
Nora chuckled and waved her hand as if to shoo her daughter away. Just then, her father Mark came home.
"You're back?"
Mark gave Nora a light kiss, pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, and as he drank, he turned to his daughter who was standing there blankly.
"What are you doing standing there?"
"I went to Redwood today."
At the word Redwood, Mark's eyes widened as he was drinking his water.
"Really? And?"
"Redwood said they're making cherry wine again this year, but this time they're making way more than last year. Over six thousand cases (1 case = 12 bottles)..."
"Six thousand cases? From that tiny winery?"
If it were Harrington Winery, six thousand cases a year wouldn't be anything to be surprised about. But that was for Harrington Winery, which owned hundreds of acres. The fact that Redwood Winery, which didn't even have twenty acres, could make six thousand cases was astonishing.
And cherries weren't even a crop they grew themselves.
"I asked, and they said a friend's family grows cherries in Brentwood... they got a hundred tons this time. They've been making it all. When I did the math, it came out to over 1.4 million dollars... if you add in the Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignon grown on their farm, how much do you think they're making in a year?"
"Well... that is a lot. But you know, right? Making it doesn't mean it's money. It only becomes money when it sells."
If making it meant money, then every farm owner in Napa Valley should be rolling in cash. Of course, there were plenty of wineries doing well, but among them were definitely those that weren't, and these places suffered from cash shortages every year. It wasn't for nothing that wineries sold tour packages to the general public.
"I know. But cherry wine was a hot seller last year, its inventory ran out in less than a month. It even got featured in Wine Review West."
"... Are you trying to upset Dad?"
"No. I'm upset myself. How can someone that young do something like that?"
"You're jealous over just 1.4 million dollars?"
"I'm not jealous of 1.4 million dollars. I'm jealous of the ability to generate 1.4 million dollars."
"Sienna, that kid might not have done it himself. I guarantee his father did most of it and passed the knowledge on to Brian."
"Either way, that means he has that kind of knowledge. That's what I'm jealous of. Ah, don't lecture me. I'm studying hard."
Mark, who had been about to tell her to study hard if she was jealous, just shrugged at being beaten to the punch.
"So is this just you venting?"
After a moment's hesitation, Sienna spoke with difficulty.
"Let's not just make wine from grapes grown on our own farm. Let's make wine from other grapes too. And not just for blending."
At his daughter's words, Mark's face turned serious. She wasn't just complaining about being upset and frustrated, she was presenting a concrete method to win. And the method wasn't impossible. It was just... difficult.
"We still have a lot of wine aging in the winery's aging room right now. And we sell close to a million cases of wine every year. Are we short on money?"
It depended on what grade of wine they were mostly selling, but a million cases meant roughly 100 million dollars (about 140 billion won) in annual revenue. During the same period, Robert Mondavi Winery was selling 6 to 7 million cases a year, with reported revenues exceeding 600 million dollars.
Even among farms of the same hundreds of acres, there was an incomparable gap in revenue between those that grew grapes and made wine through a winery and those that sold other varieties. So even among major farm owners, there was an unbridgeable wall between Frederick and Mark.
"It's not that we're short on money, I'm jealous of their growth potential. If they're at six thousand cases now, next year they'll use what they earned to expand their facilities, and then they'll double again. Add in the money from Pinot Noir, plus the money from Cabernet Sauvignon, and they'll keep expanding their facilities and their farm. And we'll keep being chased by Redwood."
Mark wasn't offended at all by his daughter pointing out each issue in detail. If anything, he was pleased. He thought his daughter was viewing the current situation with an extremely objective and level-headed eye.
"All right. I'll think about it seriously. Honestly, I've already been studying with our Head Winemaker Andrew about how to accelerate the Pinot Noir's maturation, and I'll look into making wine from varieties grown on other farms, like you said."
"I'll help too."
"...... Good. That's reassuring."
Mark gave his daughter a tight hug and kissed her lightly on the forehead as he said,
"And just in case, let me tell you: our Harrington Winery is one of the finest in America. Don't let Redwood intimidate you."
"Of course. We're the best."
Mark stroked the shoulder of his daughter, whose eyes were sparkling, and thought to himself that he needed to have a long talk with Andrew.
*
A week later, UC Davis.
As always, during a break between classes, the four friends had gathered in the second-floor study lounge of the department building. Among them, Jacob was deeply focused on my lecture.
"Like I said before, we need to go with two lines. One is a Korean-style vodka that'll serve as a cocktail base. The other is a premium traditional spirit with grain flavor and aroma. A California-style Andong Soju, basically."
Jacob was taking diligent notes in his notebook. Knowing his business well mattered when getting the permit, but it would also matter later when taking out loans, having a clear grasp of the distillery he was building and the spirits he'd produce.
"Got it."
"Whether it's Korean-style vodka or American-style Andong Soju, both use Calrose, a medium-grain rice, and both go through a still. That much is similar. But if you look step by step, the differences are clear."
On the whiteboard, I drew up two categories, Korean-style vodka and American-style Andong Soju, and compared them point by point.
"First, the most important and essential ingredient, rice, is the same. But the next most important thing, the yeast, is different. For a vodka-type neutral spirit, it doesn't really matter what yeast you use, as long as clean alcohol comes out. You can use Japanese koji (koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae) or sake yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. sake), it doesn't matter. The problem is when you're making American-style Andong Soju. It's hard to bring yeast from Korea."
"So?"
"We have to make it in America. This part I'll handle, so you don't need to worry about it, but there's something you should know. When you make the yeast culture, if you leave wheat, barley, or soybeans in an environment where mold and yeast grow well, local microbes settle in and it becomes natural nuruk. But Korea and America have different natural environments. So the taste will come out different from Korea's. In other words, it's the same method, but the taste will be different from Korea's Andong Soju."
"Ah... so it's a different drink?"
"Right. Strictly speaking, it's a different drink. That's why, even though we're modeling it after Korean-style Andong Soju, the name will be different. We'll position it as an Eastern-style whiskey or brandy."
"Doesn't matter to me."
Since Jacob had never really tried something like Andong Soju to begin with, whatever name I gave the spirit wouldn't matter to him.
"Good. Another important difference is that the two spirits differ in their distillation method. Korean-style vodka uses what's called a column still (continuous distillation), where you repeatedly boil and cool through multiple levels inside a tall tower, the column. That gives you something very clean and high in alcohol content."
"Oh..."
"American-style Andong Soju, on the other hand, uses a pot still, where you heat a large pot in batches and collect the steam. That's better for preserving flavor."
"Ah..."
"Depending on how much capital you have, you can install two stills, or you can modify and use a single still. Of course, if you have room in the budget, it's better to have two separate ones. On top of that, the post-processing methods are also different..."
Just then, Jacob's cell phone rang. The caller ID showed "Mom", and Jacob picked up with a puzzled expression.
"Huh? Mom? What's going on at this hour?"
"Honey, a letter came to the house... it's from this place called the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, under the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. Isn't this that thing you've been waiting for?"
Listening, Jacob shot to his feet.
"I think that's it! Open it! What does it say?"
"Um... honey! I think this is it! It says, 'Authorization to operate a distilled spirits plant under the name Sacramento Valley Distilled Spirits Plant!' There's a permit number too!"
"Whoaaa!"
Jacob let out a shout and turned to us.
"The permit came through! Hahaha!"
"Congrats."
"Congratulations~"
"You're the boss now! Congrats!"
Jacob basked in our congratulations for a moment, then snapped to attention.
"I'm gonna head out first."
"Yeah, yeah. Go on."
Jacob hurriedly gathered his things and dashed out. Now that the permit had come through, he'd have a mountain of things to do.
"I'm jealous...."
Armando watched Jacob's back as he rushed off, his expression full of envy. I placed a hand on Armando's shoulder.
"You'll get there soon too."
"I know. That's why I'm preparing. But I can't help being jealous."
"Sure, it's great, but after you take out the loans and bring in the equipment, the pressure's going to be no joke. The principal and interest you have to pay every month will weigh on your shoulders."
"I know that too. It's just how I feel."
"......"
Seeing Armando looking so glum tugged at my heart. Then Chloe asked,
"So, is the vinegar all sold out now?"
"Huh? Yeah. All gone."
"So now it's the wine's turn?"
"Pretty much, yeah."
"You never get a break, do you? Vinegar, cherries, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon..."
"At least starting next year, I won't be making vinegar."
"Huh? Why?"
"Until this year I was making vinegar because I was worried about operating funds for the farm midway through, but making wine with the same grapes brings in several times more profit. Next year there shouldn't be any major difficulties, so I'm going to give up on the vinegar."
At that, Armando whipped his head around.
"You're giving up something that valuable? Do you know how crazy people are going over Redwood vinegar right now?"
"I know... but for the same volume, the price difference is too big. Vinegar goes wholesale for about 14 dollars per 500ml, but if you make wine with those same grapes, you can get at least 30 dollars for 750ml."
Right now I was making vinegar because I needed the money, but once the farm had some breathing room, there was no reason for me to keep making it.
Then Armando suddenly grabbed my shoulder, his eyes sparking.
"Oh, my lovely friend. Would you listen carefully to what I have to say?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah..."
"We're friends, right?"
"Right."
"You formed a strategic business partnership with Chloe, and you formed one with Jacob. So wouldn't it be possible to form one with me too?"
"Well... naturally, yeah?"
Armando nodded with a look of emotion on his face, then blurted out something that made my jaw drop.
"Good. Then let's form a strategic business partnership. You hand over the vinegar recipe to me. In exchange, you take a stake. Chloe's was 7:3, Jacob's was 7:3, so mine?"
"7:3...?"
"Good."
"That's all fine, but... where are you going to make the vinegar?"
Armando let go of my shoulder and grinned.
"Redwood Vinegar is already a proven brand. If I've got that brand in hand, would my mom and dad not trust me? And on top of that, if there's also federal loans and guarantees (USDA FSA)?"
I stared at Armando's ambition-filled eyes and opened my mouth.
"You've already looked into everything, haven't you?"
"Of course. I've already got a property I like. Up in Alexander Valley, a small 13-acre AVA with a winery attached. 1.1 million dollars. What do you say? An opportunity like this won't come around again!"
*****
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