When I saw the ad for Wine Girl I immediately ordered a copy through a seller on Amazon. I had briefly met Victoria James when she worked at Marea. My nephew John Kapon held several of his Acker wine auctions there. I would come by for a few hours and sit at the Kapon table near the bar and the collection of special wines that Acker poured for its loyal customers. On page 230 of her book she referred to many of Ackers's best clients as "cowboys hoping that the bottles they brought to taste would top everyone else's."
The book is divided by her age- 7-14, 14-19, 19-20, 21-23, 23-24, 24-26 and 26-28. Victoria was selected for the annual Forbes and Zagat "30 under 30 lists." At 21 she became the youngest sommelier at a Michelin-starred restaurant. She is presently a partner and beverage director at Cote- 16 West 22nd Street in New York.
Her rise in the wine world is the best part of the book and takes up most of the second half. The inner workings of her family life, the abuse and humiliation were not why I bought the book. I assume it was added to make it salable as a TV series or motion picture. Her sister Sarah Robinson disputes many of her accusations. Sarah agreed that their parents had flaws but also Victoria fell in with a bad group in high school and married an abusive, controlling man.
On a 100 point scale, I would give Wine Girl an 85- B
Published by ECCO- An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers- $26.99
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