08/27/2026
For twelve years, John Germain has helped shape the identity of Café Monarch. Today, as W**e Director of both Café Monarch and Reserve, his influence can be found in nearly every bottle, pairing and story we share with our guests.
Tonight, John was recognized with the Michelin Sommelier Award.
Reserve’s w**e program is, in many ways, an expression of how John thinks about w**e: deeply considered, endlessly curious and grounded in the belief that a great bottle is about far more than what is in the glass.
John has built a collection that reflects the experience of Reserve itself, intimate, thoughtful and extraordinarily personal. Every selection has a reason for being there. Every pairing is considered in the context of the dish, the producer, the vintage and the story it can add to an evening.
But perhaps one of the greatest expressions of John’s work is the w**e list itself.
What could simply have been a list of bottles became, in John’s hands, a book created for our guests—filled with stories, maps, regions, vineyards, producers and w**emakers. It is an invitation to explore w**e rather than simply select it, and a reflection of his belief that understanding where a w**e comes from and the people behind it can make experiencing it that much more meaningful.
To call John knowledgeable about w**e doesn’t quite capture it.
He is a student of it. A teacher of it. A storyteller through it. And, quite simply, a savant at his craft.
His fingerprints are all over the w**e programs at Café Monarch and Reserve, but so is his generosity. For twelve years, he has shared what he knows with the people around him, raising not only the standard of our w**e programs, but the knowledge and confidence of everyone entrusted with presenting them.
The Michelin Sommelier Award may carry one person’s name, but it recognizes years of quiet work that most guests will never see.
Tonight, that name is John Germain.
John, there is no one more deserving of this recognition.
We could not be more proud to have you leading the w**e programs of Café Monarch and Reserve.
Congratulations, John.
You earned every bit of this.
