Wine Girl:
The Obstacles, Humiliations, and Triumphs of America's Youngest Sommelier

By Vanessa James, 313 pages, Ecco, 2020
Reviewed by Mary Ricks, April 20, 2020

James has worked in restaurants since she was 13 and was certified as a sommelier when she was twenty-one. She was Food & Wine’s Sommelier of the Year in 2018 and has appeared on both Forbes’s and Zagat’s “30 Under 30” lists. She has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in New York City.

This is a memoir and although there was a lot of information about wine that went over my head I liked the book a lot.

If you have no interest in wine then maybe the book is not for you. I like wine, am curious and like to learn. This story is not only about wine but tells the story of James’ life. From growing up in a household of manipulation and neglect she had to fend for herself. She didn’t let others into her life. Then she was raped, assaulted and abused. She was bullied because she was a female working in a male world. She became increasingly insecure.

The book details her life as she works in numerous restaurants and continues to study to become a sommelier. Also details interactions with her sister, brother and parents.

It was a fast read for me because I couldn’t wait until she would succeed. And succeed she has.