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.”
Special Awards
On the night two special awards were announced. Award to two sommeliers who the judges believed had shown exemplary leadership and contribution to sommeliery.
INNOVATION AWARD
sponsored by Saicho Drinks
Maria Boumpa
Head Sommelier, Da Terra
INSPIRATION AWARD
Matteo Montone MS
Director of Wine, Estelle Manor, Maison Estelle, Gleneagles Hotel
LEGEND AWARD
sponsored by Banfi
Isa Bal MS
Trivet
2024 Top 100 Sommeliers
-
Romain Bourger, Director of Wine & Beverage, The Vineyard, Berkshire
-
Vincenzo Arnese, Director of Wine, Raffles London at The OWO, London
-
Matteo Furlan, Head of Wines, The Dorchester, London
-
Emanuel Pesqueira, Group Head of Wine, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, London
-
Joel Bastian, Group Head Sommelier, The Kitchin, Edinburgh
-
Sumith Alahakoon, Head Sommelier, Sushisamba, W Hotel, Edinburgh
-
Stuart Skea, Group Head Sommelier, Lyla, Edinburgh
-
Agnieszka Swiecka, Head of Wine, Mount Street Restaurant at The Audley, London
-
John Power, Head Sommelier, The James Thomson Collection, Edinburgh
-
Andres Ituarte, Head Sommelier, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London
-
Jonathan Kleeman, Group Beverage Manager & Executive Head Sommelier, Story Group, London
-
Noémie Favrat, Head Sommelier, l’Atelier J. Robuchon, London
-
Philipp Reinstaller, Head Sommelier, Mauro Colagreco, Raffles London at the OWO, London
-
Stefan Kobald, Head Sommelier, CORE by Clare Smyth, London
-
Emma Denney, Head Sommelier, Claridge’s, London
-
Valentin Mouillard, Head Sommelier, L’Enclume, Cumbria
-
Beatrice Bessi, Head Sommelier, Chiltern Firehouse, London
-
Klearhos Kanellakis, Head Sommelier, Ekstedt at The Yard, London
-
Sonal Clare, Wine Director, The Wilderness, Birmingham
-
Merlin Ramos, Head Sommelier, Kioku by Endo, London
-
Maria Boumpa, Head Sommelier, Da Terra, London
-
Julien Sarrasin, Head Sommelier, HIDE, London
-
Lukas, Hyner, F&B Manager, Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Oxfordshire
-
Alexios Stasinopoulos, Director of Wine, Seren Collection, Pembrokeshire
-
Daniel Stojcic, Head Sommelier, Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire
-
Donald Edwards, Head Sommelier, La Trompette, London
-
Glen Montgomery, Head Sommelier, Eòrna, Edinburgh
-
Marco Iaccarino, Wine Director, The Berkeley, London
-
Marcello Colletti, Wine Director, The Cocochine, London
-
Gian Giancomo Stella, Wine Director, Simpsons, Birmingham
-
Sam Weatherill, Head Sommelier, Etch by Steven Edwards, Brighton & Hove
-
Fernando Cubas, Head of Beverage, Theo Randall at Intercontinental Hotel, London
-
Giuseppe D’Aniello, Wine Director, Edition Hotel, London
-
Eugenio Egorov, Head Sommelier, The Game Bird at The Stafford, London
-
Alessia Ferrarello, Wine Director, NoMad Hotel, London
-
Jiachen Lu, Head Sommelier, CORD by Le Cordon Bleu, London
-
Daniele Arcangeli, Head Sommelier, The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay at Savoy London
-
Dion Wai, Wine & Bar Manager, Raffles London at the OWO, London
-
Antonio Polise, Head of Wine, LSL Capital Group, London
-
Alexandru Dan, Head Sommelier, Ocean at The Atlantic Hotel, Jersey
-
Antonio Palmarini, Head of Beverages, Beaverbrook Townhouse, London
-
Julio Tauste, Head Sommelier, Orrery, London
-
Ovidiu Olteanu, Restaurant Manager, The Mayflower, Cheltenham
-
Dmytro Goncharuk, Head Sommelier, Mistress of Mayfair, London
-
Vanessa Stoltz, Head Sommelier, Restaurant Pine, Newcastle
-
Francesca Turra, Head Sommelier, Fallow, London
-
Miguel Gomez, Head Sommelier, Rosewood Hotel, London
-
Matilda Tsappis, Co Owner, Killiecrankie House, Scotland
-
Dario Barbato, Head of Wine, San Carlo Group, Manchester
-
Monica Bacchiocchi, Head Sommelier, Wilton’s Restaurant, London
Judges’ Special Categories
Top 5 Female Sommeliers
Beatrice Bessi
Maria Boumpa
Emma Denney
Noémie Favrat
Agnieszka Swiecka
SPONSORED BY
Top 5 Ones-to-Watch
Jaewon Jeong
Felix Law
Jiachen Lu
Vanessa Stoltz
Dion Wai
SPONSORED BY
Top 5 Young Sommeliers
Chris Goodale
Léonard Lievin
Callum McCann
Lucas Reynauld-Paligot
Henna Zinzuwadia
SPONSORED BY
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