MEET VICTORIA JAMES

The tale of a mermaid who lost her voice- and how she reclaimed it. Side Note: It ends with a powerful happily ever after.

 ABOVE: Victoria at COTE NYC.

She might not be Snow White (that name is trademarked), but this princess (technically  granddaughter of a countess) has taken a bite out of the biggest apple there is- NYC. More specifically its misogynistic industry of food & beverage.

America’s once youngest sommelier just so happens to be a woman too. She was certified as a sommelier when she was twenty-one, making her the youngest in the country at the time. She was Food & Wine’s Sommelier of the Year in 2018, 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.  She’s got two books under her belt - the most recent being “Wine Girl”, identified as a “must read” by VOGUE and a “triumph of extraordinary resilience” by the Sunday Times.

ABOVE: Wine Girl has three different publishers in 3 different countries, meaning so far the book has three different covers.  But the story itself remains the same: A brave young woman swimming in dangerous waters, reluctant to give up on her dreams and passions as a sea of bloodthirsty pirates take advantage of her.  Well, not exactly. These pirates aren’t bloodthirsty- they’re power thirsty. And these pirates don’t drink rum- they drink wine.

Having had her innocence stripped away from her at a very young age, Victoria opens up about stories and feelings of worthlessness due to rapes and a traumatizing upbringing. Just like feeling lost at sea without a compass to point true north, we learn about her highest “highs” and some “lower than a supertide low” of lows.  Just as she does with her guests at a restaurant, she’s taken us on a journey “far beyond the bottle” and into the world of wine- including it’s creatures, history, and infrastructure.

Like a fish out of water, she’s a woman entering a universe of misogyny, and reflects on moments of comical naivete, like her choice of wearing daisy dukes and a tube top with her curtain of long mermaid hair to her first class on Chilean Wines.  She confesses to struggles with claiming her femininity and finding the strength to use it, given a fear to stand up for herself, find her voice, and claim her space in this world.  

Don’t get me wrong- the book isn’t all about her. There’s also parts filled with old world whimsy, racounts on historical anecdotes of the wines, their regions, and stories. Even some fun notes on tips & tricks of cocktails pre and post prohibition.

But to me the silver lining is this: the story of a girl that is selfless enough she’s willing to find herself in service to others. A girl so in tune with her feminine essence- an intuitive love for nurturing and healing. Much like a fairy- she connects with mother nature and all her gifts via wine and foraging to create community, an atmosphere of love, and embracing an insatiable appetite for life- leaving us all thirsty for more. 

Smart, scrappy, and resourceful, Victoria takes a bad situation and turns it into something good. She doesn’t shut the door on her past- she uses it to help women all around come forth with their own stories, take charge of their lives, and stand together. 

How do you like them apples?

Well, we loved them so much we reached out to her and begged her to let us share her story, and even squeezed in a few questions on a slightly lighter note: