Wine Girl Quotes

“Collioure from La Tour Vieille.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

“like to do it because I believe hospitality is about love, not logic.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“The most important thing was something that I saw when I saw them for dinner that evening and what I still see today - it's the way they look at each other, the way they act around each other. They make each other happy. They love each other. They are good to each other. As long as you make each other happy, as long as you are good to one another, he is everything I could ever want.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

“knew that I was scrappy enough to learn the role and do it well.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

“I’d sacrificed my sense of self in the hope that somehow it would pay off,”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

“WITH LYLE, I SAW the real world of wine. Our trips weren’t sponsored, and we paid our way equally, allowing us to experience regions on our terms.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“I imagined how much pressure he must have felt as a reviewer who could destroy entire careers. Who would want that sort of power? Especially over something as simple and charming as food?”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“On such a tight budget, how do sommeliers afford all the fancy wine and expensive dinners they advertise on their Instagrams? They don’t. Often, they’re posting a picture of a bottle that isn’t their own but instead was served to a guest. Meals out are sponsored by large wineries who hope to influence their palates.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“There was something about the world of beverages that reignited my passion for hospitality. What Franky from the diner used to tell me was true: “Only happy people can give good hospitality.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“People who sometimes frustrated me to no end, but Franky was right; they were still people. It broke my heart to think of how much they probably wanted to be loved and accepted.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“Even when a situation felt impossible, I learned not to give up. Instead of escaping into the relief that distraction would bring, I found that there was an absolute beauty in facing what is hard, or sad, and trying to change it.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining

“About these times, my father says that he wishes he had made better decisions. That the burden of raising us alone led him to favor strict regimens and that he wasn’t able to talk about his emotions. In retrospect, there is a lot he wishes he’d done differently.”
― Victoria James, Wine Girl: A sommelier's tale of making it in the toxic world of fine dining