2024 TOP 100 UK SOMMELIERS REVEALED

Top 100 Sommeliers has released its 2024 list of the best sommeliers in the UK, recognising those who are the top of the profession.

10th June 2024, London – A packed room of the very best sommeliers in Britain gathered to celebrate the 2024 Top 100 Sommeliers UK at the Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London and applaud the art and expertise of those professionals who epitomise service excellence in wine.

A veritable who’s who of the UK’s hospitality industry was in attendance in anticipation of the much-awaited announcement of who are the most admired sommeliers working across the country today.

The UK’s number one sommelier this year is Romain Bourger, Director of Wine & Beverage, The Vineyard, Berkshire, and the Top Female Sommelier is Agnieszka Swiecka, Head of Wine, Mount Street Restaurant at The Audley, London.

The ranking invites nominations from sommeliers, their hospitality peers, and diners from across the UK, making it the most democratic and accurate ranking of its kind.

Based on the nominees’ experience, career and educational achievements, day-to-day responsibilities and performance in competitions, Top 100 Sommeliers uses an aggregated points system to accurately assess and analyse each sommeliers’ professional successes.

Awards were also given to the Top 5 Female Sommeliers, sponsored by Pere Ventura Cava; Top 5 Young Sommeliers, sponsored by Hallgarten & Novum Wines; and Top 5 ‘Ones to Watch’, sponsored by Gosset Champagne.

In addition, three special awards were presented to those sommeliers in the UK who have gone above and beyond in the promotion of this aspirational profession and in the pursuit of excellence during their careers:

·       Legend Award 2024, sponsored by Banfi; Isa Bal MS, Trivet

·       Inspiration Award 2024: Matteo Montone MS, Group Wine Director, Maison Estelle, Estelle Manor, Gleneagles Hotel

·       Innovation Award 2024, sponsored by Saicho Sparkling Tea: Maria Boumpa, Head Sommelier, Da Terra

In 2024 the list welcomed 38 new entries and 24% of the Top 100 Sommeliers are women, with 39% of the 100-ranking working outside London.

Angeline Bayly, co-founder of Top 100 Sommeliers, said, “In its second year the Top 100 Sommeliers has had a big shake down. It was great to welcome so many new sommeliers this year and we expect each year the list will become ever more competitive.”

“Throughout the interviews we conducted this year there were an impressive array of highly qualified individuals, some with extraordinary backgrounds as diverse as law, astrophysics, corruption, engineering, and, of course, oenology. Overall, the professionalism, high-level drinks knowledge. and dedication to hospitality was evident. Being a top sommelier today is a highly qualified, skilled career, and we have the results to prove it.”

2024 Top 100 Sommeliers

1. Romain Bourger, Director of Wine & Beverage, The Vineyard, Berkshire

2. Vincenzo Arnese, Director of Wine, Raffles London at The OWO, London

3. Matteo Furlan, Head of Wines, The Dorchester, London

4. Emanuel Pesqueira, Group Head of Wine, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, London

5. Joel Bastian, Group Head Sommelier, The Kitchin, Edinburgh

6. Sumith Alahakoon, Head Sommelier, Sushisamba, W Hotel, Edinburgh

7. Stuart Skea, Group Head Sommelier, Lyla, Edinburgh

8. Agnieszka Swiecka, Head of Wine, Mount Street Restaurant at The Audley, London

9. John Power, Head Sommelier, The James Thomson Collection, Edinburgh

10. Andres Ituarte, Head Sommelier, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London

11. Jonathan Kleeman, Group Beverage Manager & Executive Head Sommelier, Story Group, London

12. Noémie Favrat, Head Sommelier, l’Atelier J. Robuchon, London

13. Philipp Reinstaller, Head Sommelier, Mauro Colagreco, Raffles London at the OWO, London

14. Stefan Kobald, Head Sommelier, CORE by Clare Smyth, London

15. Emma Denney, Head Sommelier, Claridge’s, London

16. Valentin Mouillard, Head Sommelier, L’Enclume, Cumbria

17. Beatrice Bessi, Head Sommelier, Chiltern Firehouse, London

18. Klearhos Kanellakis, Head Sommelier, Ekstedt at The Yard, London

19. Sonal Clare, Wine Director, The Wilderness, Birmingham

20. Merlin Ramos, Head Sommelier, Kioku by Endo, London

21. Maria Boumpa, Head Sommelier, Da Terra, London

22. Julien Sarrasin, Head Sommelier, HIDE, London

23. Lukas, Hyner, F&B Manager, Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Oxfordshire

24. Alexios Stasinopoulos, Director of Wine, Seren Collection, Pembrokeshire

25. Daniel Stojcic, Head Sommelier, Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire

26. Donald Edwards, Head Sommelier, La Trompette, London

27. Glen Montgomery, Head Sommelier, Eòrna, Edinburgh

28. Marco Iaccarino, Wine Director, The Berkeley, London

29. Marcello Colletti, Wine Director, The Cocochine, London

30. Gian Giancomo Stella, Wine Director, Simpsons, Birmingham

31. Sam Weatherill, Head Sommelier, Etch by Steven Edwards, Brighton & Hove

32. Fernando Cubas, Head of Beverage, Theo Randall at Intercontinental Hotel, London

33. Giuseppe D’Aniello, Wine Director, Edition Hotel, London

34. Eugenio Egorov, Head Sommelier, The Game Bird at The Stafford, London

35. Alessia Ferrarello, Wine Director, NoMad Hotel, London

36. Jiachen Lu, Head Sommelier, CORD by Le Cordon Bleu, London

37. Daniele Arcangeli, Head Sommelier, The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay at Savoy London

38. Dion Wai, Wine & Bar Manager, Raffles London at the OWO, London

39. Antonio Polise, Head of Wine, LSL Capital Group, London

40. Alexandru Dan, Head Sommelier, Ocean at The Atlantic Hotel, Jersey

41. Antonio Palmarini, Head of Beverages, Beaverbrook Townhouse, London

42. Julio Tauste, Head Sommelier, Orrery, London

43. Ovidiu  Olteanu, Restaurant Manager, The Mayflower, Cheltenham

44. Dmytro Goncharuk, Head Sommelier, Mistress of Mayfair, London

45. Vanessa Stoltz, Head Sommelier, Restaurant Pine, Newcastle

46. Francesca Turra, Head Sommelier, Fallow, London

47. Miguel Gomez, Head Sommelier, Rosewood Hotel, London

48. Matilda Tsappis, Co Owner, Killiecrankie House, Scotland

49. Dario Barbato, Head of Wine, San Carlo Group, Manchester

50. Monica Bacchiocchi, Head Sommelier, Wilton’s Restaurant, London

Top 51 to 100

in alphabetical order

• Bella Babbit, Head of Wine, The Blue Posts, London
• Leonardo Barlondi, Head Sommelier, The Dorchester, London
• Filipe Bhering Reis, Head of Wine, Koko & House of Koko, London
• Beth Bond, General Manager, Cottage in the Wood, Cumbria
• Camilla Bonnannini, Head Sommelier, Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Lichfield
• Harry Cooper, Head Sommelier, Counter 71, London
• Nicola D’Ascenzo, Senior Sommelier, The London Edition, London
• Matthew Davison, Restaurant Director, Moor Hall, Lancashire
• Michael Driscoll, Sommelier, The Angel, Dartmouth
• Michal Dumny, Head Sommelier, The Forest Side Hotel, Cumbria
• Nikolaos Emner, Assistant Wine Director, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London
• Oliver Espersen, Wine Director, Dovetale, 1 Hotel Mayfair, London
• Viorel Filip, Wine Buyer, Benares, London
• Ali Finch, Group Head Sommelier, Murano, London
• Seoridh Fraser, General Manager, Heron, Edinburgh
• Anna Frost, Group Sommelier, Where The Light Gets In, Stockport
• Chris Goodale, Head Sommelier, Julie’s Restaurant, London
• Fred Goodwin-Hayward, Assistant Sommelier, Restaurant Hywel Jones, Wiltshire
• Giuseppe Grasso, Head Sommelier, Alex Dilling at Café Royal, London
• Jaewon Jeong, Head Sommelier, Amazonico, London
• Anastasios Karakasis, Head of Wine, Bacchanalia, London
• Martin Kleveta, Head Sommelier, Alain Ducasse at Dorchester, London
• Felix Law, Head Sommelier, Canton Blue, The Peninsula Hotel, London
• Léonard Lievin, Head Sommelier, Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, Sussex
• Elisa Marchini, Head Sommelier, Muse by Tom Aikens, London
• Callum McCann, Head Sommelier, Number One, The Balmoral, Edinburgh
• Elizabeth Mellish, Sommelier, Gleneagles Town House, Edinburgh
• Zareh Mesrobyan, Head of Wine, Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire
• Claude Millee, Head Sommelier, The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Perthshire
• Fabio Monteiro, Head Sommelier, 1890 Restaurant, London
• Elton Muco, Deputy Head Sommelier, 67 Pall Mall, London
• Gioele Musco, Head Sommelier, The Peninsula, London
• Alistair Myer, Owner, Rafters, Sheffield
• Konstantinos Nestoridis, Head Sommelier, Midsummer House, Cambridge
• Daniele Palomba, Head Sommelier, Annabel’s, London
• Stefano Pasqual, Head Sommelier, Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay, London
• Michel Paszto, Head Sommelier, The Ritz, London
• Marius Plesa, Head Sommelier, The Waterside Inn, Berkshire
• Shashi Prakash, Food & Beverage Manager, Taymouth Castle, Scotland
• Alexandra Price, Head of Wine, Ham Restaurants Group, London
• Lucas Reynaud-Paligot, Head Sommelier, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught Hotel, London
• Pedro Santos, Head Sommelier, Gouqi Restaurant, London
• Carolina Seibel, Assistant Head Sommelier, Petrus, London
• Natasha Senina, Head Sommelier, Chewton Glen, Hampshire
• Magdalena Śleziak, Head Sommelier, Northcote, Lancashire
• Imre Somogyi, Head Sommelier, The Connaught Hotel, London
• Paul Stibbles, Head Sommelier, The Strathearn, Auchterarder
• Craig Thom, Owner, Faffless, Aberdeen
• Matthew Wakeford, Head Sommelier, Latymer, London
• Henna Zinzuwadia, Head Sommelier, Pahli Hill, London