The judges have cast their votes and the Top 100 Sommeliers have been decided. Anticipation is mounting. Who will be ranked as the best in the land?

Top 100 Sommeliers is about excellence. The judging panel is no exception. Thierry Tomasin, The Savoy Grill; Giovanni Ferlito, The Ritz; Svet Manolev MS; Sarah Jane Evans MW; and Queena Wong, came together, with the Sommelier Edit team, to decide which sommeliers are at the best in the UK.

Our stellar line up of judges have assessed the Top 100 Sommeliers ranking using a range of criteria which are crucial in this essential part of hospitality. Looking at experience, responsibilities, qualifications and accolades the judges aim was to recognise and reward those UK sommeliers who are at the top of their game right now.

The first annual Top 100 Sommeliers is not just about an individual’s profile or the size of their wine list. It is judged on a combination of factors and to arrive at the much awaited decision of who are the Top 100, each judge has taken into consideration what each sommelier has done in their career plus, the amount of time spent on the floor, their day-to-day buying, management and training responsibilities and their experience and studies.

Commenting on the judging Thierry Tomasin, restaurant director at The Savoy Grill, said, “The numbers don’t lie. Top 100 Sommeliers has a unique scoring system which awards points based on each of the criteria. It is weighted to take into consideration every aspect of a sommelier’s job.”

Giovanni Ferlito, Head Sommelier at The Ritz, added, “This is completely different way of assessing the sommeliers’ craft; encompassing everything from mise en place to level of responsibility and qualifications to years in the job. It’s difficult to be swayed or influenced when the hard facts are in front of you.”

Anticipation is mounting for the announcement on the 30th May in London when the first ever Top 100 Sommeliers is announced. Watch this space.