Redefining Sake in America: Food & Wine Names Monica Samuels 2026 Drinks Ambassador of the Year

The Komé Collective President is recognized for more than two decades of leadership in expanding sake’s reach, challenging perceptions, and shaping its future in the American market.

SAUSALITO, Calif. (November 5, 2026) — Food & Wine has named Monica Samuels, president of Komé Collective, its 2026 Drinks Ambassador of the Year, recognizing her role in transforming how Americans understand, experience, and appreciate premium Japanese sake.

When Monica Samuels began her career in 2002, the category faced a fundamental challenge in the United States: Americans had little understanding of what sake could be. Often associated with inexpensive hot pours and sake bombs, Japan’s centuries-old beverage tradition had yet to find a meaningful place in mainstream American drinking culture. She saw something different: a beverage with the complexity, versatility, and cultural richness to stand alongside the world’s great wines and spirits. Realizing that potential, however, meant changing how Americans thought about sake.

Recognizing that unfamiliar terminology and technical classifications could intimidate new consumers, Samuels took a different approach to education. Rather than leading with production methods, she introduced sake through familiar flavors and experiences, drawing comparisons to wines and spirits consumers already knew. Her approach gave sommeliers, retailers, and consumers a more accessible way to explore sake while honoring the craftsmanship behind it.

Samuels also made connecting American audiences directly with Japanese brewers central to her work. Through cross-country brewery tours, educational events, and relationships with restaurants and retailers, she introduced consumers and beverage professionals to the families, traditions, and stories behind the bottles.

That commitment has helped establish Komé Collective, the sake division she built within beverage importer Vine Connections, as a leading force in the U.S. market. Today, Komé Collective represents over 18 Japanese breweries, with distribution across all 50 states, Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, and accounts for approximately 22% of premium sake imported into the United States.

Beyond commercial growth, Samuels has championed greater visibility for Japanese producers, particularly women whose contributions have historically received less recognition. Komé Collective now represents more women-led sake breweries than any other U.S. importer. She has also worked closely with brewery partners to navigate rising freight costs, currency fluctuations, rice shortages, and changing trade conditions, helping sustain the relationships and traditions at the heart of the business.

Despite sake’s growing presence in the United States, Samuels believes the category has only begun to realize its potential.

“Sake deserves to be a billion-dollar industry,” she told Food & Wine.

Her vision is to make sake a natural part of American drinking culture, enjoyed at home alongside wine, paired with everyday meals, or shared casually with friends. She believes that future depends on collaboration across the industry.

“If there’s ever been an example of a rising tide that lifts all ships, that should be sake,” she told Food & Wine.

“I’m incredibly proud of Monica and everything she’s accomplished. What makes her so special isn’t just what she’s built for Komé Collective and Vine Connections, but the impact she’s had on the sake industry as a whole. She’s opened doors for Japanese producers and beverage professionals, challenged perceptions, and helped create opportunities for an entire category. Her passion and belief in what sake can become are unmatched, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition,” said Nick Ramkowsky, owner and principal of Vine Connections.

Raised in a bilingual household in Los Angeles, where she spoke Japanese at home and spent summers with her grandparents in Japan, Samuels has spent much of her life bridging Japanese and American cultures. That perspective has shaped her career and her commitment to introducing American audiences to the people and traditions behind sake.

Previously named a Sake Samurai in 2017 and recognized among Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers in 2014, Samuels continues to advocate for a future in which sake is not simply better understood, but an everyday part of American drinking culture.

Read the full Food & Wine feature: If It Feels Like Sake’s Everywhere in America Right Now, Our 2026 Drinks Ambassador of the Year Is the Reason Why

About Komé Collective

Komé Collective is a division of Vine Connections. We’re a collection of traditional and cutting edge thought leaders, producers, and brands with a commitment to the culture of Japan. For over 25 years, Vine Connections has been uncompromising in introducing producers that match our high standards. We represent a collective power that others cannot match - the power is in the collective.