Victoria James

Victoria became hooked on wine while bartending during college and was a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers by the time she was just 21 years old. She was then offered a Sommelier position at Charlie Palmer's Michelin-starred Aureole in New York. Most recently, she was awarded Zagat's prestigious "30 under 30" in New York City for her work at Marea, Michael White's 2-Michelin, 3-New York Times star restaurant. Previously, she won the Ruinart Sommelier competition, Best Sommelier of the Languedoc Roussillion competition and the Chilean Wine Challenge. She has also worked harvests in Sonoma with Michael Terien and in Napa with the Spring Mountain District Association. Currently, Victoria is the wine director at Michelin-starred Piora in NYC's West Village, and can also be found teaching, writing and consulting for various outlets. Find her most recent stories on her website www.getyourgrapeon.com.