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

Shortlisted for the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Book Awards 2021

Aged twenty-one, Victoria James was named the US's youngest sommelier, working in Michelin-starred restaurants, serving the finest wines.

The groping patrons she learned to handle, but, behind the scenes, the world of high-end 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 a notoriously misogynistic business, and of the restorative power of a glass of wine with friends.