“Old Ethan, you’re overthinking it. I’ve seen this kind of contempt many times before.” Ryan Carter smiled.

“Since you’ve already left the Prime Minister’s residence, what are your plans for the future?” Chris asked thoughtfully.

“Plans?” Ryan Carter was taken aback, momentarily at a loss for words. He had just left the Liu residence; although he had a vague outline for his future, nothing was yet clear.

Sensing Ryan Carter’s uncertainty and confusion, Chris couldn’t help but smile. “Zichang, there’s a gathering of Luoyang’s tavern owners tonight at Yihong Tower. Why don’t you come with me and join the fun?”

“A gathering of tavern owners?” Ryan Carter was stunned for a moment, his mind racing, then he nodded silently. “Alright, I’ll go with you, Old Ethan, to see what it’s like.”

Seeing Ryan Carter agree, Chris set a time with him and took his leave. Chris’s intentions were, of course, good. He knew very well that with Ryan Carter’s extraordinary wine-tasting skills and profound brewing knowledge, once he showcased them to Luoyang’s wine industry peers, he would definitely become highly sought after. At the very least, his livelihood would be secure.

Sorry, the previous book just ended, and there was some confusion. Apologies, the protagonist’s name has been corrected.

Chapter 012: The Wine Appraisal Banquet (Part 1)

Wine tasting is not merely the literary appreciation of drinking, but more so refers to professional wine tasting and evaluation. First, it determines the grade and quality of the wine; second, it offers corrections and improvements to brewing techniques. It can be said that since the invention of winemaking, professional wine tasting and brewing have been inseparable twins. A wine taster must be skilled in brewing, and a brewer must also know how to taste wine.

However, unlike modern times, there was no profession of “wine taster” in ancient days. The task of tasting and evaluating wine was mostly done by the brewers themselves or by mutual evaluation among peers.

The flourishing Tang Dynasty was a nation of wine. Drinking was as much a part of daily life for people of all social classes as eating. Along with this came a variety of customs and traditions born from wine. Daily drinking and entertaining aside, there were also seasonal and festival drinks, such as calamus wine at the Dragon Boat Festival and chrysanthemum wine at the Double Ninth Festival. Among officials, nobles, scholars, and literati, there were banquets like the “Qionglin Banquet,” “Summer Retreat Gathering,” and “Warmth and Cold Gathering.” For those in the wine industry who created fine wines for the people of the Tang, the monthly wine appraisal banquet was also a grand event.

The wine appraisal banquet in Luoyang was initiated by the president of the Luoyang Wine Association, Henry Scott. At that time, the owners of all the city’s breweries would gather together, each bringing their latest creations, and rent out a brothel in Qingfang on the west side of Luoyang Bridge to discuss and taste wine all night long. Of course, the main purpose was to publicly evaluate the new wines, set prices, avoid vicious competition among peers, and maintain the stability and balance of Luoyang’s wine market.

Evening. As night had just fallen and the first stars appeared, in the warm, restless summer breeze, at the brightly lit entrance of Yihong Tower in Qingfang, Henry Scott, dressed in splendid attire, personally greeted the tavern owners arriving from all over Luoyang.

The owner of Luoyang’s Bamboo Leaf Spring Tavern, George Brooks, was a plump man. He brought two attendants, each carrying a jar of wine. Henry Scott laughed heartily, stepped forward, and patted George Brooks on the shoulder. “Brother Shaohua, your tavern has produced a new wine again? Tsk tsk, truly admirable! Your tavern comes out with a new wine every few months—no wonder your business is booming. I hear you’re even selling wine in the imperial capital, Chang’an.”

George Brooks chuckled, a hint of pride in his laughter. “You flatter me, Gongrang. It’s not really a new wine, just a slight improvement on our old Bamboo Leaf Spring. Later, I hope you’ll give it a taste!”

“Of course, absolutely.” Henry Scott exchanged pleasantries while glancing toward Luoyang Bridge. In the faint moonlight, he saw an old man and a young man walking over together, chatting and laughing at ease.

Henry Scott was overjoyed and hurriedly left George Brooks to greet them, calling out from afar, “Mr. Benjamin, it is a great honor for Gongrang and all our colleagues that you have graced the wine appraisal banquet with your presence!”

Benjamin was Chris’s courtesy name. He was an unusual figure among brewers: though he worked in winemaking, he was a learned scholar at heart, obsessed with the art of wine and uninterested in fame. The Jade Pot Spring he brewed was among the finest wines of the Tang Dynasty, renowned throughout the land—even the nobles of the imperial capital coveted it. Unfortunately, he brewed mainly for his own enjoyment, with business a distant second, never expanding production, resulting in extremely low output. Moreover, he rarely participated in wine appraisals or discussions among peers; Henry Scott had invited him many times, but never succeeded.

The only brewer in Luoyang to be addressed as “Mr.” was this local celebrity, Chris.

Yet this time, he had come.

“Brother Gongrang!” Though Chris was aloof by nature, he had some fondness for Henry Scott, the biggest wine merchant in Luoyang. All those attending the wine appraisal banquet were brewery owners—brewers themselves—except for Henry Scott, who did not brew but only ran the wine business. To put it bluntly, nearly all the dozens of wine varieties produced by Luoyang’s breweries were monopolized for external sales by Henry Scott’s Dongsheng Wine Company, including Chris’s Jade Pot Spring.