“So... a few of California’s representative wineries will be making wines to commemorate the thirtieth-anniversary re-tasting of the Judgment of Paris, and the California state government will promote them? It’s a good opportunity for the wineries?”
“It’s more than just a good opportunity. The entire volume will be exported overseas. The purpose is to let wine lovers know of America’s victory.”
Would wine lovers really not know that America beat France? Everyone knew. And yet they were making these wines because they wanted to keep branding that victory into people’s minds, to boast about it again and again.
I could understand the California state government’s intentions. What I couldn’t understand was why Mark was trying to drag me into this wonderful opportunity.
Before my regression, even among master’s and doctoral degree holders, it had been only natural to compete for good government research projects when they came up. And yet in the fiercely competitive wine industry, he was willing to share such a golden opportunity so readily? I wasn’t that naive.
“I see. It does sound like a good opportunity. Are there any procedures or conditions required to participate?”
Mark smiled broadly and tapped the bar table with his index finger.
“A winery on the level of Redwood Winery can meet the minimum requirements demanded by the state government. On top of that, if you go through the association certification procedures in Napa and Sonoma, you’ll be given a chance to participate in this event.”
“Association certification...?”
“The Napa Valley Vintners, NVV, and the Sonoma County Vintners.”
“Ah...”
Listening carefully, what he was saying was that he’d taken a liking to me and would let me in. After all, association certification ultimately meant that a handful of wineries with powerful influence had to give their permission.
“Then we just need to make the wine ourselves and deliver it?”
“That’s right. Nothing difficult about it.”
Something still felt off, so I asked once more.
“And the association won’t touch anything at all until the wine is shipped?”
“Ah, there are a few confirmation procedures for that part. Since it’s a wine supported by the California state government, there has to be a procedure to confirm there are no issues with the wine production. Other than that, nothing.”
“Confirmation procedures?”
As I kept digging, Mark’s brow furrowed slightly.
“They need to confirm that the wine was made through the proper process.”
I immediately raised my hand.
“Ah, I appreciate the consideration, but I don’t think we can do it.”
“You’re saying you’ll give up an opportunity this good?”
“It is a good opportunity, but if we did that, there’d be a risk of our winemaking know-how being exposed. Still, thank you for telling me about such a good opportunity.”
I kept repeating my thanks, but the stiff, awkward look on his face did not soften. Still, what could he do if I said no?
“If you’re going to turn down an opportunity like this, then what can I say? It can’t be helped.”
“Then I’ll go join the party. This place is really... enviable. If I buy a house later, I’ll have to make a space like this for myself too. Thank you for showing me around.”
I gave a slight bow to him, his gaze unreadable, and went back upstairs.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Hahahaha!”
When I came up, what unfolded before me was quite a spectacle. Women in bikinis were throwing bubbles floating in the pool, and Armando was running around mingling with them.
“Mm...”
To be honest, I was jealous. But then—
“Isn’t that your friend over there?”
I turned my head and saw a very familiar person standing there. It was Matthew Higgins, who was very close with Sienna.
“Oh? Long time no see.”
The last time I’d seen him had been in passing after our fourth-year graduation. Maybe because he looked like the typical wealthy white man, the polo shirt he was wearing suited him extremely well.
“Why didn’t you enter the San Francisco Chronicle this time?”
“The distributor suggested we try entering a different competition, so we didn’t bother submitting there.”
“You could have done both at the same time, couldn’t you?”
“Why? Did you want to compete against me this time?”
At my question, Matthew twisted one corner of his mouth upward.
“Honestly, I did have that in mind. But since you didn’t enter this time, almost as if you’d run away, I wondered whether the quality of the wine you released last year wasn’t that great.”
In truth, it wouldn’t have mattered if we had entered both at the same time. But the reason we’d skipped the San Francisco Chronicle this time was simple: I didn’t want to attract negative attention within Napa Valley for no reason.
Even before my regression, I had known that Americans were far more racist than they revealed outwardly. Winning two Double Golds at once was already enough to wound their pride. If I went on to receive another Double Gold or better in succession? They probably wouldn’t be able to show it on the outside, but inside, they’d surely be grinding their teeth.
If the volume of wine we shipped had been impressive enough to exceed thirty or forty thousand cases, I wouldn’t have cared about that kind of hatred and would have entered. But whether we participated or not, selling out was already guaranteed. In other words, there was no reason to promote for the sake of this year alone.
That was why Christopher’s suggestion that we participate in an overseas competition rather than the San Francisco Chronicle had honestly sounded welcome.
“Oh, come on, not that great? It’s actually better than the year before last.”
That wasn’t bluster. It was true. It was wine adjusted to near perfection by precisely measuring the temperature and oxygen concentration in the stainless-steel aging tanks.
Matthew shrugged, his expression saying he didn’t believe me.
“It’s an incomprehensible decision, but if that’s what you say, I have nothing else to say. Then I suppose we can’t expect any official commentary on your wine this year.”
He was saying that evaluations from wine lovers were unofficial and therefore not worth discussing... Apparently he was only hearing what he wanted to hear, or what I’d said simply hadn’t entered his head.
“I told you earlier, didn’t I? They suggested we try another competition. We did submit it, just not to San Francisco.”
“Ah, did you? Then where...?”
“The DWWA, Decanter World Wine Awards.”
Matthew’s eyes immediately narrowed.
“Ah... that event with the short history?”
Just as I was wondering how to respond to that, Matthew shifted his gaze beside me and said,
“Happy birthday.”
I turned my head and saw Sienna, wearing a bikini, approaching while drying her hair with a towel. And beside her, following with a puppy-like grin, was Armando...
“Thanks. You’re late.”
“I was preparing a gift.”
Matthew raised his hand in a stylish gesture, and hanging from his fingertips was a paper bag bearing the logo of the luxury brand Hermès, though it wasn’t particularly large. Before my regression, I might have glared at him and thought, A kid already buying luxury goods? But considering the wealth of Matthew’s family, this was probably the kind of thing that could be dismissed as a small gift among college students.
“Thanks.”
As expected, Sienna didn’t even ask what it was. She took the paper bag and casually set it down among the gifts from her other friends. But Matthew seemed to have expected Sienna to react that way and continued without minding.
“My father says he’s sending me on a wine tour to France this time. Want to come with me? We’re scheduled to have meetings with the owners of the five Premier Cru Classé châteaux in the Médoc region of Bordeaux. You could learn a lot, and it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with them in advance, right? What do you think?”
It was a line that made me worry for Armando without meaning to. But Sienna, her face expressionless as if she wasn’t particularly tempted, said,
“I don’t know. I’m not really... Go and tell me what it was like when you get back.”
“It would be a good opportunity, though. If you’re worried about your father, you don’t have to be. My father said he already spoke to yours.”
This time, I could feel Armando’s expression stiffen slightly.
“I’ve done a similar tour before... And I’m acquainted with the owners of Lafite Rothschild and Margaux among the five great châteaux...”
When she refused again, Matthew’s face hardened. It seemed he had deliberately made the offer in front of us for everyone to see, but he apparently hadn’t expected her to reject him so openly.
“...Suit yourself.”
Matthew brushed past her shoulder and began smiling and chatting with the female students who recognized him. It was truly an alpha-male move, as if he were deliberately showing her that there were plenty of women besides her.
But Sienna didn’t even look at Matthew and asked me,
“What did Dad say?”
“Hm? Well, he suggested we participate in a wine support project run by the California state government.”
“And?”
“I refused.”
Her eyes wavered slightly, but she soon nodded.
“I see. Well, I thought you would.”
“Can I ask you one thing, though?”
“What?”
“Why did he try to recommend me for this project?”
Naturally, I thought she wouldn’t answer. I had only asked because I was curious what Sienna was thinking. But she opened her mouth more easily than I expected.
“We have a bit of history with Grendel Hill Farm. He probably wanted to send those grapes overseas rather than keep them domestic.”
It was far too honest an answer. And it was unexpected that he wasn’t simply after my winemaking method, but that there was another reason behind it.
“I see. Can’t be helped, then.”
“Exactly. Want some wine?”
Sienna asked casually, and Armando cut in between us.
“I’d like some, please.”
She skillfully opened a new bottle, took out a fresh glass, poured the wine, and handed it to Armando. I watched the scene, then asked,
“Wasn’t what you just said supposed to be a secret? Your father might feel hurt if he hears about it.”
“I know. Are you going to tattle that I told you?”
“No, but...”
“Then it’s fine.”
She stared straight into my eyes and continued,
“I hate childish things. I also hate it when people do things with motives so obvious you can see right through them. Do you know why I refused Matthew’s offer?”
“Because you could see right through him?”
“Yeah. If he had confessed that he liked me, I would’ve seriously thought about it. But he can’t say that and just says weird things instead.”
Damn it... I realized why Sienna put up with Armando. Rather than that, a brainless full-frontal charge like Armando’s suited her tastes better.
Looking at Armando grinning beside her, I, who had not even 0.1 percent of romantic interest in Sienna, strangely felt anger rising in me. It was definitely just that smug little grin of his that annoyed me.
“So that’s why you told me everything, without being childish?”
“Dad taught me a lot. About wine, and about life too... But sometimes, what he taught me and how he acts don’t line up. I love my dad, but... I just think our styles are different.”
“But right now, your father is the owner of the winery. Aren’t you considering that your actions could harm the winery?”
Surprisingly, Sienna gave a soft snort of laughter, put a hand on her waist, and said,
“Right now it’s Dad’s, but in ten more years, it’ll be mine. So what’s wrong with doing things my way?”
“Wow...”
I was genuinely impressed by her boldness and clapped slowly, once at a time.
“Amazing. I admit it.”
“Conversely, I acknowledge your skill too. But I’m still studying as well. I don’t think you’ll stay ahead forever. Since last year, we’ve also started additional research with a million-dollar budget... That’s why I can refuse Matthew’s offer. Everyone says Napa Valley has the best vineyards, but Sonoma isn’t inferior either. We’ll catch up soon.”
At her spirited declaration, I found myself looking at Armando. Could Armando, who dreamed of a leisurely, peaceful life with a beautiful wife, handle Sienna, who burned with ambition?
But Armando seemed to have fallen for that ambitious side of Sienna. His eyes turned into hearts as he muttered like an attendant,
“You’ll be able to do that. I can tell just by looking. You could probably beat Brian too, no problem.”
That bastard. Even his last words sounded completely sincere.