It’s 2021, and 22-year-old Freddie* is interning at an exclusive private members’ club in the West End. A visiting European royal, who has his own vintage selection in the club’s wine cellar, has selected one of the finest bottles - worth £15,000 – to enjoy with his friends.
But to Freddie’s horror, when he retrieves the bottle he discovers it’s corked – and it’s his job to break the bad news. “He kicked off and caused an absolute scene. To the point where other members were complaining about him screaming across the restaurant,” Freddie says. “I was humiliated. And then I got a bollocking from the manager – as the interns always did – even though it obviously wasn’t my fault if the wine wasn’t kept at the right temperature.”
