Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

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'Hugely entertaining' Jay Rayner, Observer 'James does for wine what Anthony Bourdain did for the high-pressure, low-margin world of professional restaurants, exposing secrets kept from customers' Financial Times 'James writes powerfully . . . . you'll raise a glass to her extraordinary resilience' Sunday Times A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining Aged thirteen, Victoria James started her first job in a diner in New Jersey. Aged nineteen, Victoria was serving sugary Cosmopolitans in a restaurant off Broadway. Aged twenty-one, Victoria was named the US's youngest sommelier, working in Michelin-starred restaurants, serving the finest wines to pair with spectacular foods. The groping patrons she learned to handle, but behind the scenes, the world of high dining was a mess of fractious relationships and unacknowledged abuse. It would take hitting rock-bottom for Victoria to find her way back to the industry she adores. Wine Girl is the memoir of a young woman breaking free from her traumatic childhood. It's the story of overcoming the notoriously corrosive restaurant industry, and of the restorative power of a glass of wine with friends.

Victoria James has worked in restaurants since she was thirteen. She was certified as a sommelier when she was twenty-one, making her the youngest sommelier in the country and has appeared on both Forbes and Zagat's "30 Under 30" lists. She has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in New York City, including Marea and Aureole. Currently, she is the Beverage Director and partner at Cote, a Michelin-starred hot spot in the Flatiron district of New York.

James does for wine what Anthony Bourdain did for the high-pressure, low-margin world of professional restaurants, exposing secrets kept from customers. - Financial Times An uplifting story of grit and resilience that will leave you with an appetite for the pleasures that James so vividly describes - Mail on Sunday Hugely entertaining - Observer Don't read this book without wine to hand. I glugged at the gossipy bits, sipped at the sad parts . . . In Wine Girl James spills all on Manhattan's fine-dining world . . . you'll raise a glass to her extraordinary resilience - Sunday Times One can't help but root for James's hard-won success - Telegraph