MONICA SAMUELS

Monica Samuels is one of the country’s most accomplished sake professionals – including being named “Top 40 Under 40” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and holding the prestigious title of Sake Samurai. Monica’s has been in the sake business for over ten years, on the hospitality side and as Southern Wine & Spirits’ Sake Ambassador before joining the Vine Connections team to oversee the marketing, sales, and education of the Japanese sake and spirits portfolio.

She is a skilled educator making her passion and knowledge for complicated subjects approachable and understandable. She specializes in introducing sake to those who are unfamiliar with it, including developing sake programs in non-Japanese restaurants and recommending some truly outstanding non-traditional sake pairings to everyone she meets.

“My favorite part about being in the sake industry is that it’s still such a young industry with so much room to grow, not only in terms of introducing people to how delicious and versatile sake is, but also the quality of sake gets better ever year. The best sake of my life is yet to be made or tasted, which is very exciting!”