Philip - Virginia

    Virginia Philip became only the tenth woman in the world, and one of just 130 in total, to earn the extraordinary accreditation of Master Sommelier. That achievement was complemented when she competed against 30 men and one woman to earn the national title of “Best Sommelier of the United States” in 2002, a title she holds by the American Sommelier Association.

Now in her sixth year at The Breakers, Virginia maintains and oversees an amazing 13 wine lists for the property which includes the 1,500-selection list at L’Escalier, the resort’s award-winning signature restaurant which has won the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award every year since its inception in 1981.


She graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1989 with a B.S. in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. She has traveled extensively, broadening her knowledge of wines and spirits in Scotland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Canada and throughout the wine regions of the United States.

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