Vanessa Stolz was raised in Alsace, France. This cultural melting pot, combined her father’s love of wine made her keen to learn about wine. Her passion for wine, fuelled by her family, was quickly found. She tells Sommelier Edit why. 

“After working for a year in Sancerre, the fascinating surroundings and my manager’s knowledge made me want to become a sommelier,” Vanessa Stolz, head sommelier at Restaurant Pine explains. “It hit me once we had done a few tastings, and I couldn’t express my feelings. All I could say was, “I love this! I want make wine my job.”

From Sancerre Vanessa came to the UK to work at Hipping Hall at Forest Side and in 2018 she won the Champagne Gosset Matchmakers competition with her partner Ian Waller. As a UK 2024 Top100 Sommelier she reveals that there is a lot about hospitality that she enjoys.

“The colleagues that become friends for life. Sharing my passion with the guests and their positive feedback. Every day feels different—the challenges that come with it and how you tackle them with your team. In the hospitality community, especially in the UK, everyone knows each other, which is a great bond. Hospitality is an underestimated profession,” she believes.

Our quiet, eclectic wine list, which showcases mainly British wines, intrigues people. We make all the NOLO drinks ourselves, using ingredients foraged from our surroundings which are very well received.

Newcastle and NOLO

Currently Vanessa works at Restaurant Pine in Northumberland and she feels that there are a lot of opportunities in the Northumberland and Newcastle areas. “High-end restaurants have been doing well for the past 4 years around here,” she raves, “Some superb places have been thriving for years, too.  It’s developing, but chain restaurants are still taking over because Newcastle is a student city.”

WHen it comes to what people are drinking currently she explains, “our most popular offerings are the non-alcoholic and alcoholic pairings. Our quiet, eclectic wine list, which showcases mainly British wines, intrigues people. We make all the NOLO drinks ourselves, using ingredients foraged from our surroundings which are very well received.”

Green Stars struck

Restaurant Pine has recently retained its Michelin Green Star for the fourth year running and has a lauded Red star also. The restaurant, situated in an old cow farm at Vallum Farm, Northumberland, is a destination point for great food and wine that is sustainably sourced. Commenting on the accolade Vanessa says, “We obtained our Green Star on the same day as our Red. It was clear from the beginning that the chefs were working with ingredients from our garden and using farms and fishmongers near the restaurant.  “It is important to be do everything possible to reduce my carbon footprint and work with an ethos similar to the kitchen at Restaurant Pine,” she explains. “Our primary focus is on British wines, from sparkling to sweet, and wines from around Europe. In fact 90% of the wines are certified bio or organic. However, all the wines must be farmed sustainably. ”

Our quiet, eclectic wine list, which showcases mainly British wines, intrigues people. We make all the NOLO drinks ourselves, using ingredients foraged from our surroundings which are very well received

For her the importance of retaining their Green Star goes beyond the wines. She elaborates, “I use digital menus, keep all the natural corks, and send them to Recorked UK. Some of my suppliers use the same warehouse, so I order tactically to kill two birds with one stone simultaneously. I recently discovered that the wine list has been nominated for the ‘Sustainable Wine List’ at Star Wine List UK 2025. My team and I  are very honoured and excited to be included among such outstanding wine lists.”

That being said Vanessa is fan of “full-bodied reds, such as Northern Rhone Syrah or a Cabernet blend from South Africa.  I love them! However, at work, my favourite wine by the glass is Niepoort ‘Vernente’ Touriga Franca blend 2019. It tastes of plums, blueberries, vanilla, and chocolate with a hint of cedar and well-integrated tannins. It also goes very well with most of our dishes on the menu.”