“Ryan Carter? The weakling from Prime Minister Foster's residence?” George Brooks was first taken aback, then burst out laughing, and the crowd followed with a roar of laughter. Ryan Carter's infamous reputation was well known throughout Luoyang, even among women and children, and these people were no exception.

A faint anger flashed in Ryan Carter's eyes, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly sat back down. As a transmigrator from modern society, and with the “prelude” from Yan Zhenqing earlier at this wine-tasting banquet, he had long been mentally prepared to bear the shameful past of that Old Carter. This kind of ridicule was well within his expectations. However, he could only face it, not avoid it. He firmly believed that this laughter and mockery would not last long.

Chris glanced at Ryan Carter worriedly, but seeing his composed demeanor, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Henry Scott was also surprised, carefully sizing up this notorious playboy from the Prime Minister’s residence from head to toe, but a trace of doubt arose in his heart: this so-called dissolute youth, scorned by all, actually looked calm, refined, and poised, with none of the arrogance or frivolity of a wastrel! Even under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd, he could maintain an unusual calm, his eyes clear and unashamed, holding his wine cup, gently swirling it, and watching with a faint smile.

Every gesture was as light as clouds and wind.

The laughter grew even louder, and even a few of the Yihong Tower maids serving in the hall covered their mouths and giggled.

Chris stood up abruptly and shouted angrily, “Silence! How can rumors be taken as truth? Old Charles is full of talent and learning. Though young, he is deeply versed in the art of wine, and can speak profound truths about wine at will. His skill in identifying wine by scent is unmatched in the world—even I cannot compare.”

Feeling Chris's concern, Ryan Carter smiled, stood up, walked a few steps past the table, and said slowly, “Old Ethan, past events are hard to recall under the bright moon; empty fame is but fleeting clouds to me.”

After a pause, Ryan Carter curled his lips, turned, picked up the wine cup on his table, and said loudly, “I have only a rough understanding of wine. Since I happen to be here, I will venture to offer a few opinions. If there is anything inappropriate, I hope you will forgive me.”

“As for this wine, in my opinion, it is merely of inferior quality. Look, the color is a pale, improper red, the liquid is cloudy with too many suspended impurities—that’s the first point. The aroma is overly strong, with too much honey added, completely masking the original freshness of the bamboo leaves—overdoing it is as bad as not doing enough, like drawing legs on a snake; that’s the second point. The wine itself is too harsh and does not keep well; after some time, it will surely spoil—that’s the third point.” Ryan Carter sneered inwardly, but spoke with ease.

To be honest, Ryan Carter's critique hit right at the “weakness” of George Brooks's new wine, and his language was extremely professional. Everyone was stunned for a moment; Chris smiled with his eyes, while Henry Scott's eyes lit up.

George Brooks snorted angrily, “Ignorant brat, talking nonsense—ridiculous!”

“Nonsense? Heh, Mr. Brooks, I dare not speak of other things, but I do have some experience in wine tasting. If I am not mistaken, Mr. Brooks's new wine, though made with the ingredients of Bamboo Leaf Spring, uses the yeast recipe of Wuyun Brew... am I right?” Ryan Carter's words pierced George Brooks's heart like an arrow. For a moment, he was flustered and dejected, slumped back onto his stool, lowered his head, and said no more.

……

……

Everyone’s gaze remained fixed on Ryan Carter, but now their looks had changed from contempt to shock and awe. During his half-reluctant performance of “identifying wine by scent” and “tasting and critiquing wine,” the brewers of Luoyang were nearly dumbfounded. His extraordinary skills in wine tasting and his effortless command of wine theory left them utterly convinced, no longer daring to underestimate this “notorious” playboy.

That very night, the transmigrator Ryan Carter, a top modern wine taster, used his extraordinary sensory judgment and his mastery of thousands of years of winemaking and tasting theory to completely win over the elite of Luoyang’s wine world.

Chapter 014: The Wine-Tasting Banquet (Part 2)

The feeling of conquest was wonderful, but Ryan Carter did not become intoxicated by it. Seizing every opportunity to wash away the disgraceful reputation of that Old Carter, he still had “a long way to go.” If not for this, he would hardly bother discussing wine theory with these tavern owners.

Such miraculous wine-tasting skills—what did they mean? Ordinary people might not know, but the tavern owners at this banquet understood perfectly: miraculous wine-tasting skills meant equally superb winemaking skills—which was directly linked to piles and piles of copper coins.

Therefore, amid the clinking of cups, after obtaining an ancient yeast recipe from Ryan Carter, the owner of the Sangluo Tavern in the south of the city, Frank Scott, immediately made up his mind.

He knelt warmly across from Ryan Carter, raised his wine cup high, and said eagerly, “Young Master Carter, your skills are divine—Frank Scott is full of admiration…”

Frank Scott impatiently offered a generous monthly salary of 10 strings of cash, inviting Ryan Carter to be a “consultant” at his tavern. Seeing Frank Scott make his offer, the other tavern owners were quick to follow, each offering high salaries to invite him as well. In an instant, this once-despised playboy became the hottest “Tang Monk’s flesh” in town.