Travel Influences: Sommelier Victoria James

With every trip I take, I feel as if a bit of me is transformed. I remember the first time I went on a wine trip, to Chile when I was only 22, and everything seemed such a wonder. Meeting the people behind the wines, breaking bread together and learning about their history–it really changed the way I saw wine. Now, whenever I travel, I try to find the stories behind the beverage. This is what transforms the wine into something so much more. Wine is not some luxury product, it is a grocery. However, it does carry a whole journey inside.

Last month, I traveled to Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. Here, I was so impressed by how unique each of these islands was, even though they are but a few miles apart. History has molded them each into fiercely independent places, with cultures and wine that reflect this. On Mount Etna, in Sicily, I met with the winemaker at the tiny Vigneto Vecchio who put it quite simply, “I hope you leave with the impression of simple people, in an extraordinary territory, who are looking to explain their land, through wine.” This notion is what I try to bring to my guests every night at Cote, to transform their dining experience through beverage.

You are the beverage director at Cote, a Korean Steakhouse in NYC. Can you tell us how your travels have influenced your wine and beverage selections?

Every wine that is represented on our list I want to speak of a place, and the people that help bring that expression to life. If a selection makes it to the wine list it is because I have personally met the winemaker or traveled to the region. We work with “>vigneron (those who tend to the wine vs. simply winemakers), that use wine to pay homage to centuries of tradition, innovation, and history.

I want my guests at Cote to be able to drink a bottle and even if only for a few moments, go on a journey. The stories behind the bottles are what make them so unique and special. This is why I try to travel as much as possible, to wine regions around the world, finding the highest-quality and unique beverages to bring back to my guests. I use storytelling through travel as a tool in hospitality with my guests.

I lived in Korea for 7 months in 2006. I have to say, it truly opened my palate to flavors I had never experienced before. Have you traveled to Korea? What are your impressions?

It is my next stop on the travel list! We are traveling there soon for further research. I am fortunate that the owner of Cote, Simon Kim, took me on a cultural journey around New York City before we opened the restaurant together. Through him, and all of the resources he provided, I was able to craft a beverage program that paid homage to Korean roots with a foot in New York. For example, we offer craft soju’s that are made locally and sustainably in New York through heirloom rice varieties and grapes. We also use these as ingredients in cocktails.

The best part about developing the wine list was finding flavors in the wine that compliment food. At first, this was tricky. The food of Korea has developed for centuries without wine. Dishes such as kimchi were created to provide this refreshment and structure in the meal – fermented flavors, acid, etc. So where does wine fit in? This is where I was able to get creative and find unique wines such as Alsatian and Amigne from Switzerland to pair with these tricky dishes. First and foremost though, Cote is a steakhouse. So at the end of the day, my focus is to pair great wines, cocktails, etc. with high-quality steaks.

You became a sommelier at a very young age. How did you get into the wine business?

I started in restaurants when I was 13, as a greasy-spoon diner waitress. From there I progressed to bartending in New York City around 18/19. I quickly realized I knew nothing about wine, and when I came across a dusty old copy of Wine for Dummies, became entranced. What first lured me in was the history, the beauty of the stories that surround beverage, and the tradition.

This book led to another which led to another which led to a class. Soon this class became two and before I knew it I was a cellar rat, then harvest intern, and finally a sommelier at age 21. Still today, what keeps me entranced with the world of beverage is how it ties together everything I love most – travel, hospitality, nature, food, history, art, and people.

For the wine travelers: what are your favorite wine regions to travel to?

As a sommelier, beverage director, and author (check our Victoria’s beautiful book,  DRINK PINK, A Celebration of Rosé), how does travel influence your work?

Travel is one of the most important things a sommelier, buyer, and writer can do. How can I sell wines I don’t know personally? Why should my guests trust me if I haven’t actually been to the places I am touting? Traveling is so crucial because it makes a person well rounded, they are able to get out of their bubble and experience the whole world.

Recently, when I was in Italy, I was reminded how thankful I am for American hospitality! This is one of the things I think the restaurant industry can do really well here. However, I also picked up tricks and noticed ways in which I could improve myself and my beverage program. Lastly, travel is inspiring. It re-invigorates my passion for what I do and allows me to connect people all around the world. What could be better than that?

How Travel Influences Victoria James’ Work

At Cote, we are the only Michelin-starred restaurant to pour all of our wines by the glass from magnum wine bottles! In a larger format, wine actually tastes better, since there is less overall exposure to oxygen. It was so important to me that we implement this when we first opened Cote, but it is very difficult to actually do. In order to secure high-quality wine in this format, in large quantities, I had to travel directly to the source.

With the three-tier system in the United States, it can be difficult to communicate with the growers that produce the wine. Therefore, travel is so important to my role because it allows me to go to the winemakers, small growers in France, and Italy, and ask them to bottle wines specifically for us. This leads to better value for my guests and an unusual product that only we carry. Without travel, I would never be able to achieve this unique quality for our beverage program.

Victoria James is the Sommelier at Cote NYC, a modern Korean steakhouse. Follow her on Instagram & Twitter.