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| Photo credit: Girl Well Read and HarperCollins. Do not use without written permission. |
Expert sommelier Victoria James visited the Drake Hotel in Toronto where she was interviewed by Angela Aiello (celebrity wine expert, writer and educator) to launch her newly published memoir, Wine Girl. Following the discussion, Victoria led a four-wine tasting from Nobel Estates Wine.
You talk about how this book was very therapeutic for you to write. What part of the book was most therapeutic?
"This is the first time that I've talked about therapy in a bar, so bear with me," Victoria quipped. There were some experiences that were quite difficult for her growing up, as well as the abuse and sexism that Victoria faced while working in restaurants. So at first, she started writing as a form of therapy in order to get it all down and work through it.
"There is something very interesting about revisiting pain. We tend to, in order to survive, push it down and suppress it." Victoria said that it was healing to learn from her experiences.
In the book you talk about 'Franky's Love Cycle,' can you tell us what that is?
At the age of thirteen Victoria got her first job at a greasy spoon diner that was literally under the railroad tracks. She was a teenager who simply "didn't give a shit," and found it exhausting to muster up passion for every single guest. But Franky, who became a mentor, wanted to teach her his 'love cycle.' His advice was to find something to love in everyone—not something simple like loving someone's shoes, but to recognize the humanity in each person. And from that, treat them with empathy.
"Sometimes people are really hard to love. Especially when you are serving 300 of them a night, and you have to find a way to deliver real service. Genuine service, hospitality. Once you see someone as human and you see all of their soft and squishy parts, and how they can be lovely and nice (even if they are being mean) then in return, you offer good hospitality."
She didn't expect it to be so fulfilling. "You feel good also, it becomes incredibly addictive and makes you feel a sense of purpose."
There is a quote in the book: "It's all bullshit, the title I mean. A somm is someone who sells wine in a restaurant. If you don't do that, you're not a somm." How do you feel about being a sommelier and the label?
Victoria compared it to being a chef—you can become a chef by going to school and getting your credentials, or you can become a chef by getting a job as a chef and working your way up.
Historically in the sommelier world, the latter was the course in that there were no organizations that would give pins and certifications (it's a new thing). She chose to do both. As a young woman, she was not taken seriously without a piece of paper and felt that it was essential. But there are also a whole school of people who don't believe in those tests and examinations.
You talk about some great foods as well as some great regions. What has been the most extravagant thing you've ever ate?
Growing up she didn't have the most gourmand options. The first time she had sweetbreads, she saw them on a menu and thought they would be amazing. "But they weren't sweet at all. And that's because they are pancreas," Victoria said. "The wine world is very fun because there are dishes with a lot of history and it is very food-centric. There is a lot of discovery and it brings people together."
A common misconception is that white wine is for fish and red wine is for meat, but this is not always the case. When Victoria and her husband were travelling in the south of France, they were served little pieces of fried fish and she immediately thought that they would be perfectly paired with a crisp white wine. However, the tradition is to serve the dish with a really heavy sweet wine. It ended up being one of the best pairings that they've ever had.
"Wine is also an experience," she said. Her advice is to keep an open mind.
Once you've worked a harvest abroad, you see wine in a different way. Can you share what your key learnings were after working a harvest.
"Working a harvest is essentially where you go to a vineyard and you pick grapes and then you take those grapes and make them into wine. It sounds very romantic right?" Victoria asked. "I thought it was going to be fabulous, where I drink wine and eat cheese the whole time." The world of wine making is actually incredibly complex and back-breaking work. She also learned that there are a lot of decisions that can change not only the quality of the wine, but also how it tastes.
"In the US you can add up to 50 different ingredients in wine besides grapes. Some of the ingredients may be alarming, like fish bladder and horse hooves, or weird and gross like powdered tannins and silicone gel, like those little packets you get in your clothes that say 'do not eat.'"
Which chapter of your journey had the most impact on bringing you to the successful place you are today?
Her brother was forcibly going into a mental and he told her that "you have to sometimes do things that you don't really like for a short period of time, to get to a much better place far, far, away." He recognized a lot of similarities between Victoria's world of NYC fine dining and his experience.
Victoria thinks that the best decision she made was to leave the very cut-throat Michelin-starred world of fine dining in order to regroup and figure out what it was that she really wanted. "It doesn't matter what your journey is, sometimes you just need to take a step back," Victoria offered.
James wants to be a role model for other women in the industry. She did just that by becoming a leader in her own Michelin-starred restaurant.
What would you say was the biggest challenge of writing Wine Girl?
The biggest challenge was the message that she wanted to impart. "It's one thing to write for your own form of therapy, and another to release it to the world," she said. In taking her stories public, Victoria hopes that they will inspire both men and women to share their stories as well.
During the Kavanaugh trial she was so discouraged thinking that nobody wanted to hear women's stories, and that people didn't believe women. Victoria stopped writing for a few months and her agent encouraged her to pick up other works. She read Roxane Gay, Padma Lakshmi's op ed piece, and Educated by Tara Westover, and realized that just because some people aren't listening to women's stories, it doesn't mean that there isn't still a place for them. "The most important thing we can do is continue to share them." James encourages women to speak up because for so long she stayed silent.
What advice would you give a young person?
"Find an ally, find a mentor, find someone you can trust." Victoria went on to say that she was very isolated and felt like she was alone, but the more that she spoke to other women (and men), she realized that they felt quite the same.
It is important to Victoria to not only give back, but that people feel safe at her restaurant (at Cote they have a no-tolerance policy). She also feels that diverse voices should be heard. To address this, Victoria started a non-profit educational organization, Wine Empowered, that provides tuition-free wine classes to women and minorities in the hospitality industry.
What are some easy tricks of the trade that you could give us when sorting through a wine list?
"Wine lists can be very scary, there's a lot of fancy names on there that you don't know how to navigate them. Check to see if there is a sommelier in house to help. If so, you can point to a price point you are comfortable with."
You can also tell them about a wine that you love and ask them to suggest something similar. "Don't be afraid to engage with the sommeliers, they are there to provide a service and to help you. Don't be scared," Victoria said.
Wine Girl
At the age of 21, Victoria James became the youngest certified sommelier. Arriving at this distinction was no easy task—she endured sexual harassment, verbal abuse, and lower pay than her male counterparts.
Even though she was a certified sommelier, James was still continuously belated for her age and gender and still faced sexism and the abuse of power from not only her employers, but also her patrons.
Taking a step back from the years of humiliation in the restaurant industry—even from those that were of the highest regard—Victoria visited France to experience what she envisioned as the life of a sommelier. She experienced an authentic experience and discovered her true sense of purpose.
VICTORIA JAMES has worked in the restaurant industry since she was thirteen. Becoming the youngest certified sommelier in the country at age 21, Victoria has appeared on both Forbes and Zagat’s “30 Under 30” lists. She is also the author of Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé, which Harper Design published in 2017.
Victoria 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.
James currently resides in NYC with her husband and dog, Rocco.
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