A white mansion in Healdsburg, with the winding Russian River visible at a glance and a broad swimming pool spread out in front. Returning to this place, whose land alone amounted to 3,000㎡—roughly 900 pyeong—Sienna wore an extremely complicated expression.
“Did something happen?”
Her mother, Nora, who had been cooking in the kitchen, asked as she looked at her daughter sitting listlessly on the sofa.
“Just... what are you doing?”
“Making dinner. But didn’t you say you weren’t going to school today?”
“I went to Napa Redwood, not school.”
“You did? Oh, right. Is the Redwood you went to this Redwood, by any chance?”
Wondering what she meant, Sienna lifted her head and saw her mother holding a brown bottle. She frowned and looked more closely at the label: “Redwood Reserve Vinegar.”
“Ah... that’s probably it. They said they were selling vinegar, but we have it at home too? Is it any good?”
“Any good? Don’t even get me started. Among the neighborhood ladies, if you don’t have this, people say you’re behind the times. Do you know how hot it was last year...? This year, everyone’s buying two bottles at a time because they don’t know when it’ll sell out again. Mom bought two bottles too.”
“... Is there really a reason to buy two bottles of vinegar?”
“You little... The flavor is different.”
Already feeling troubled, Sienna stomped over and took out a teaspoon.
“Give me a little.”
“I’m not giving you much anyway.”
She wondered why anyone would be so stingy with vinegar, but curious, Sienna brought the tiny drop her mother poured onto the teaspoon up to her nose. A fragrant grape aroma pierced through the sourness and filled her nostrils. Without hesitation, she put the teaspoon into her mouth.
“Mmm~”
There was definitely a deep flavor different from ordinary vinegar that was merely sour. Sienna blinked, then examined the label on the bottle more closely.
“It’s different, right?”
“It is. How does vinegar have this kind of flavor? It really feels like concentrated grapes.”
“These days, it’s trendy in the neighborhood to make chicken breast salad with this and diet. The salad tastes really good too.”
“......”
“Want me to make you some?”
“No.”
“Suit yourself.”
Nora chuckled and waved her hand as if telling her to go away now. Just then, her father, Mark, came home.
“You’re back?”
Mark exchanged a light kiss with Nora, took water from the refrigerator, drank it, then asked his daughter, who was standing there blankly.
“Why are you standing there like that?”
“I went to Redwood today.”
At the word Redwood, Mark’s eyes widened as he was drinking his water.
“You did? And?”
“They said Redwood is making cherry wine again this year, but this time they’re making much more than last year. They said it would be over 6,000 cases—one case being 12 bottles...”
“6,000 cases? At that small winery?”
If it were Harrington Winery, 6,000 cases a year would be nothing to be surprised about. That was true for Harrington Winery, which owned hundreds of acres, but for Redwood Winery, with less than twenty acres, being able to make 6,000 cases was astonishing.
Especially since cherries weren’t even something they grew themselves.
“I asked, and they said a friend’s family grows cherries in Brentwood... They got 100 tons this time. That’s what they were making all of. I did the math, and it came out to over 1.4 million dollars... If you add Pinot Noir and the Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the farm, how much do they make in a year?”
“Well... it is a lot. But you know, don’t you? Just making it doesn’t mean it’s money. It has to sell to become money.”
If everything they made automatically turned into money, every farm owner in Napa Valley would have to be rolling in cash. Of course there were many successful wineries, but among them, there were certainly wineries that did not do well, and they suffered every year from a lack of funds. There was a reason wineries sold tour packages to the general public.
“I know. But the cherry wine was so popular last year that their stock ran out in less than a month. It was even featured in Wine Review West.”
“... Are you trying to upset your father?”
“No. I’m the one who’s upset. How can someone do that at such a young age?”
“You’re saying that because you’re jealous of a mere 1.4 million dollars?”
“I’m not jealous of 1.4 million dollars. I’m jealous of the ability to create 1.4 million dollars.”
“Sienna, that boy may not have done it himself. I can guarantee his father made most of it and taught that friend named Brian the knowledge.”
“Either way, it means he has that much knowledge. That’s what I’m jealous of. Ah, don’t nag me. I’m studying hard.”
Mark, who had been about to tell her that if she was jealous, she should study hard, shrugged at his daughter for getting ahead of him.
“So you’re just complaining?”
After hesitating for a moment, Sienna finally forced the words out.
“Let’s not only make wine with grapes from our own farm. Let’s make wine with other grapes too. And I don’t mean blending.”
At his daughter’s words, Mark’s expression turned serious. It was not merely that she was upset and irritated and complaining; she had clearly presented a method by which she wanted to win. And that method was not impossible. It was simply difficult.
“There is still a great deal of wine sleeping in the winery’s aging room. And we sell close to a million cases of wine every year. Is this because we’re short on money?”
It would vary depending on what grade of wine they mainly sold, but a million cases meant yearly revenue of roughly 100 million dollars—about 140 billion won. During the same period, Robert Mondavi Winery was selling 6 to 7 million cases a year, and its revenue was said to exceed 600 million dollars.
Even among farms of the same hundreds-of-acres scale, there was an incomparable difference in revenue between a farm that produced grapes and made wine through a winery and a farm that sold other varieties. So even if both were large landowners, there was an uncrossable wall between Frederick and Mark.
“It’s not because we’re short on money. I’m jealous of their potential for growth. If they’re at 6,000 cases now, then next year they’ll expand their facilities with what they earned, and then it’ll double again. They’ll also have money coming in from Pinot Noir, and if you consider the money from Cabernet Sauvignon as well, they’ll keep expanding their facilities and farm. And we’ll keep being chased by Redwood.”
Mark did not find his daughter’s precise, point-by-point argument unpleasant at all. On the contrary, he was pleased. He believed his daughter was viewing the present situation coolly and with an extremely objective eye.
“Good. I’ll think about it seriously. As it happens, I’ve also been studying with Andrew, our chief winemaker, how to wake up the Pinot Noir more quickly. As you said, I’ll also look into making wine with varieties from other farms.”
“I’ll help too.”
“...... Good. That’s reassuring.”
Mark hugged his daughter tightly once, then kissed her lightly on the forehead and said,
“And I’m telling you this just in case, but our Harrington Winery is among the very best in America. Don’t let Redwood intimidate you.”
“Of course. We’re the best.”
Mark stroked his daughter’s shoulders as her eyes shone brightly, and inwardly thought that he would need to have many conversations with Andrew.
*
A week later, at UC Davis.
As always, the four friends had gathered in the study lounge on the second floor of the department building during a break between classes. Among them, Jacob was absorbed in my lecture.
“As I said before, we need to go with two lines. One is a Korean-style vodka that can serve as a cocktail base. The other is a premium traditional liquor containing the flavor and aroma of grain. In other words, a California-style Andong soju.”
Jacob listened earnestly while taking notes in his notebook. It was important to know his business well when the permit came through, but it would also be important later, when receiving a loan, to clearly understand the distillery he was preparing and the liquor he would be making.
“I understand.”
“Whether it’s Korean-style vodka or American-style Andong soju, both are similar in that they use Calrose, a medium-grain rice, and pass through a still. But if you look at each stage, there are clear differences.”
I created categories on the whiteboard labeled Korean-style vodka and American-style Andong soju, then compared the differences according to each item.
“First, the rice, which is the most important and fundamental ingredient, is the same. But the next important thing—the fermenting agent—is different. For a vodka-type neutral spirit, it doesn’t make much difference what fermenting agent you use as long as you get clean alcohol out of it. You can use Japanese-style koji—koji mold, Aspergillus oryzae—or sake yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. sake, and it won’t matter. The problem is when making American-style Andong soju. It’s difficult to bring the fermenting agent from Korea.”
“Then what?”
“We have to make it in America. I’m the one who has to make that, so you don’t need to worry about it. But you do need to know this. When you make a fermenting agent, if you place wheat, barley, or beans in an environment where mold or yeast can grow well, local microorganisms attach to it and it becomes natural nuruk. But Korea and America have different natural environments. So it will taste different from Korea’s. In the end, it’s the same method, but it will taste different from Korea’s Andong soju.”
“Ah... Then it’s a different liquor?”
“Right. Strictly speaking, it’s a different liquor. So while it will present itself as Korean-style Andong soju, the name will be different. We’ll position it as an Eastern-style whiskey or brandy.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Since Jacob had never originally tasted anything like Andong soju, it probably would not matter to him what I named the liquor.
“Good. Another important difference is that the two liquors differ starting from the distillation method. Korean-style vodka will be made using what’s called a column still, or continuous distillation. Inside a tall tower—the column—it passes through multiple levels, repeatedly boiling and cooling. That produces very clean liquor with a high alcohol content.”
“Oh...”
“On the other hand, American-style Andong soju has to be made with a pot still, where you boil a large pot in batches and collect the vapor. That method is good for preserving flavor.”
“Ah...”
“Depending on how much funding you have, you can bring in two stills, or you can modify one still and use it for both. Of course, if you have enough money, it’s better to have two separate ones. In addition, the post-processing methods are also different...”
Just then, Jacob’s cell phone rang. Since the caller ID showed his mother, Jacob looked puzzled as he answered.
“Huh? Mom? What’s going on at this hour?”
“Dear, mail came to the house... It’s from a place in Washington D.C. called the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau under the Department of the Treasury. Isn’t this that thing? The one you were waiting for?”
Jacob, who had been listening, shot to his feet.
“I think that’s right! Open it! What does it say?”
“Mm... Dear! I think it is! It says, ‘Permission is granted to operate a liquor distillery under the name Sacramento Valley Distilled Spirits Plant’! There’s a permit number too!”
“Waaaah!”
Jacob let out a strange cry and shouted at us.
“The permit came through! Hahaha!”
“Congratulations.”
“Congrats~”
“Now you’re a president! Congratulations!”
Jacob beamed as he received our congratulations, then suddenly came back to his senses.
“I’m going to head out first.”
“Yeah, sure. Hurry on.”
Jacob hurriedly gathered his things and dashed out. Now that he had received the permit, he would have a mountain of things to do.
“I’m jealous....”
Armando’s face was full of envy as he watched Jacob’s back as he hurried away. I placed a hand on Armando’s shoulder.
“You’ll be able to do it soon too.”
“I know. That’s why I’m preparing. But I can’t help being jealous.”
“It may be nice, but after he takes out a loan and brings in equipment, the pressure will be no joke, you know? The principal and interest he’ll have to pay every month will weigh on his shoulders.”
“I know that too. I just feel this way.”
“......”
My heart ached at Armando’s dejected appearance when Chloe asked,
“So, did you sell all the vinegar now?”
“Hm? Yeah. It’s all gone.”
“Then now it’s the wine’s turn?”
“I guess it is.”
“You never have a moment to rest every year, do you? Vinegar, cherries, Pinot Noir, and now even Cabernet Sauvignon...”
“At least starting next year, I won’t make vinegar.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Until this year, I made vinegar because I was worried about the farm’s operating funds in the middle of the season, but making wine with the same grapes brings in several times more profit. I don’t think we’ll have much trouble next year, so I’m planning to give up the vinegar.”
At those words, Armando whipped his head around.
“You’re giving up something that precious? Do you know how crazy people are going over Redwood vinegar right now?”
“I know, but... if you compare the same quantity, the unit price difference is too big. Vinegar wholesales at about 14 dollars for 500ml, but if I make wine with it, I can get more than 30 dollars for 750ml.”
Right now, because we were in urgent need of money, I had made vinegar, but once the farm had some breathing room, I had no reason to make vinegar.
But suddenly, Armando’s eyes flashed with fire and he grabbed my shoulders.
“Oh, my dear beloved friend. Will 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 too. Then doesn’t that mean you can form one with me as well?”
“Well... of course, I suppose?”
Armando nodded with a deeply moved expression, then said something outrageous.
“Good. Then let’s form a strategic business partnership. You hand the vinegar-making method over to me. In exchange, you take equity. Chloe is 7:3, and Jacob is 7:3, so what about me?”
“7:3...?”
“Good.”
“That’s all fine, but... where are you going to make the vinegar?”
Armando released my shoulders and grinned broadly.
“Redwood Vinegar is already a proven brand. If I have that brand, do you think my mom and dad won’t believe in me? And what if there’s a federal loan and guarantee—USDA FSA—on top of that?”
Looking at Armando’s eyes, which were filled with ambition, I opened my mouth.
“You’ve already looked into all of it, haven’t you?”
“Of course. There’s already a listing I like. Up north, in Alexander Valley. A small thirteen-acre AVA property with a winery included. 1.1 million dollars. What do you think? An opportunity like this will never come again!”