Meet our 2026 Drinks Visionaries

Photo Credit: Food & Wine

Dear Pros,

Prairie Rose here, Food & Wine's senior drinks editor. I'm thrilled to share this year's Drinks Visionaries with you.

Let's be honest: There are probably too many food and drink accolades out there. These awards can feel like a mixed bag. If you or your friends are on the list, it can be very exciting. And when much of the hospitality industry is struggling, that recognition can mean a much-needed boost in business.

But anyone who's spent time in hospitality knows the feeling of seeing the same names pop up on the same lists, with "best of" rankings that feel uninspired. It can seem like the game is rigged in favor of the best-funded publicists.

So, when Food & Wine launched Drinks Visionaries last year, we were asking ourselves the same question as everyone else: Does the industry need more accolades?

A year later, our answer is a resounding yes. There's one main reason: Most accolades celebrate the places. We want to celebrate the people. Behind every great bar, winery, or brewery are people who took a risk, mentored a team, or pushed a category somewhere new. They don't always get a moment in the spotlight.

To find them, we turned to the people who know that work firsthand. Our panel of peers, including winemakers, bartenders, and past honorees, nominated those changing the drinks landscape through innovation, community leadership, and humanitarian work.

The 2026 class shows the depth of that influence. You'll meet a Los Angeles bartender proving that ambitious cocktails and genuine hospitality go hand in hand, a Denver brewer whose devotion to lager has shaped American craft beer, and fifth-generation Nevada farmers making some of the country's best whiskey from grain grown on their own land. Some have spent decades shaping their fields. Others are changing them in real time. All of them have made a tangible impact on how we drink.

Meet the full class here and in our December/January issue, on newsstands November 20th. I hope you'll find inspiration in their stories.

Prairie Rose

Senior Drinks Editor

IG: @bitbyafox

prairie.rose@foodandwine.com

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Introducing Food & Wine's 2026 Drinks Visionaries, the People Defining What's Next in Drinks

These are the brewers, winemakers, bartenders, and advocates who shaped what went in your glass this year.

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