ION LUCA · 29.10.2026
The Day Bad Boys Beat the Big Names from Bordeaux
Discovery of Daejeon 2024 — one of those moments I’ll never forget.
Today I’m leaving for South Korea. A country I’ve been returning to for 14 years—sometimes even twice a year—and which has grown very dear to me over time.
But today, before I leave, I want to share a story about a moment I experienced there in 2024. One of those moments that a winemaker might be lucky enough to experience just once in a career.
A New Judgment of Paris, This Time in Korea
In 1976, in Paris, the famous Judgment of Paris tasting took place, in which two American wines won, in blind tastings, against iconic French wines. The result shook the wine world, calling into question France’s supposedly uncontested supremacy in the world of fine wines.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of that historic moment.
In 2024, as part of the Asia Wine Buyers Conference—an event held in conjunction with the Asia Wine Trophy in South Korea—the organizers of Discovery of Daejeon decided to recreate the spirit of that historic tasting. This time, wines from Moldova and France were pitted against each other.
Discovery of Daejeon closely followed the format of the historic Judgment of Paris, bringing together nine elite tasters: three champions of the Best Sommelier of Korea competition — Juyong Kim, the 2021 winner; Woong Hwangbo, the 2022 winner; and Hyeon Cheol Cho, the winner in 2017, 2018, and 2020 — along with three holders of the prestigious WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and three wine journalists.
The wines were tasted blind, with the experts unaware of their identities. Among the French wines were big names from Bordeaux, such as Château Talbot and Château Lafon-Rochet. The participating wines were selected from those available on the Korean market.
I was in the room as a spectator. I wasn’t part of the judging panel, and I didn’t even know that one of my wines had been selected.
The Moment I Was Speechless
Five wines made it to the finals. After the tasting, the labels began to be revealed, starting with fifth place and working up to the winner.
Fifth place. It wasn’t my wine.
Fourth place. Not there either.
Third place. Still no.
I admit, I had started to lose hope that I’d see any Carpe Diem wine in this final round.
Then came the moment the winner was revealed.
First place: Bad Boys Carpe Diem 2018.
For a few moments, I was truly speechless. I couldn’t believe it.
A wine made by us, in Moldova, from Fetească Neagră and Saperavi, with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, had won a blind tasting against world-renowned wines.
A blend that brings together our identity through Fetească Neagră, Georgian tradition through Saperavi, and the French school through Cabernet and Merlot.
And all of this took place thousands of kilometers from home, in front of tasters who had no idea what was in their glasses.
Moldova Can Compete in the Big Leagues
The final result was extraordinary: Bad Boys in first place, followed by Freedom Blend and Negru de Purcari. Three Moldovan wines in the top three spots, ahead of the two Grand Cru Classé wines from Bordeaux.
I have enormous respect for my fellow winemakers in Moldova and for the great wines of France.
This result does not prove that Moldovan wines are better than French ones. Not by a long shot.
A tasting is a tasting. What matters are the wines selected, the vintages, the judges’ preferences, and, perhaps, sometimes even the alignment of the planets.
But it does prove something I’ve believed for a long time: a wine made in Moldova can compete on equal footing with the big names of the wine world.
For me, Discovery of Daejeon remains one of the most moving moments of my career as a winemaker. Not just because Bad Boys won, but because of what that victory meant.
Years of work, trials, decisions, doubts, and passion. And one day, somewhere in South Korea, all of that came together in a glass of wine that nine professionals tasted without knowing its story.
And they chose it as the winner.
Yes, Moldovan wines can compete in the big leagues.
The story continues
And today I’m boarding a plane to South Korea once again, continuing a story that began 14 years ago.
I’m returning to Daejeon as a judge for the Asia Wine Trophy and to give a presentation on Fetească Generation at the Asia Wine Buyers Conference.
I’m returning with big plans, high hopes, and the desire to continue the work I began 14 years ago: to make Moldovan wines increasingly well-known and appreciated in South Korea.
I don’t know what surprises await me this time. But I do know that, somewhere in Korea, I experienced one of the most beautiful moments of my career as a winemaker.
And the story continues.
Ion Luca
UNFILTERED | Luca Winery
Related Articles
Korean press:Segye Ilbo — Original report on “Discovery of Daejeon,” November 15, 2024
Moldovan press:FineWine.md — Surprises at a Blind Tasting That Confronted Moldova with French Grand Crus
