Top 100 Sommeliers 2026: The Year the UK’s Wine Elite Doubled Down on Excellence

22nd June 2026, London – If 2026 proves anything, it’s this: the UK’s top sommeliers aren’t just holding the line—they’re raising it.

This year’s Top 100 Sommeliers list lands at a moment when pressure is high across the board. And yet, at the very top, performance has never looked more assured. Precision, confidence, and clarity of vision define a group that continues to evolve, outperform, and lead from the front.

Standard-bearers

Maria Boumpa claims the number one spot—and it feels inevitable. Fresh from second place at the Hungarian Sommelier Club competition and gearing up to represent the UK at the ASI Contest Best Sommelier of the World 2026 in Lisbon, as well as earlier this year being elected Sommeliers’ Sommelier, her rise reflects more than consistency; it signals authority. Boumpa isn’t just operating at the highest level, she’s shaping what that level looks like.

Right behind her sits a fiercely competitive top tier. These are sommeliers working with intent, building programmes with identity, and executing at a level that leaves no room for complacency. The margins are tighter, the expectations higher—and the best are delivering anyway.

Depth and star power

This isn’t a list carried by a handful of big names. The real story sits in its depth.

With Brian Julyan MS winning the Legend award, in 2026 education is still a key theme for sommeliers. Proving they can adapt, refine, and stay relevant in a climate that demands exactly that. Wine lists are sharper. Decision-making is smarter. There’s less room for excess, more focus on intent.

And crucially, the next wave is already knocking.

The new guard

The “Ones to Watch” and “Young Sommeliers” categories don’t feel like future potential—they feel immediate. These are professionals already making decisive moves, with strong points of view and the confidence to back them.

They’re not inheriting the playbook. They’re rewriting it.

Female representation continues to climb too, now sitting at 26% of the Top 100—an upward shift that reflects real progress at the top end of the profession, not just in the pipeline.

No standing still

What defines 2026 is not survival. It’s momentum.

The best sommeliers in the UK are working with sharper instincts, clearer identities, and a refusal to plateau. They are navigating complexity while still delivering at the highest level, proving that excellence isn’t static; it compounds.

This year’s Top 100 isn’t just a ranking. It’s a statement: the bar has moved and the people on this list are the ones moving it.

Top 100 Sommeliers United Kingdom 2026

1. Maria Boumpa Wine Director, Da Terra Restaurant Group
2. Klearhos Kanellakis Wine Director, Jul’s Group
3. Marco Nardi Head Sommelier, Caractère
4. Emma Denney Director of Wine, Claridge’s
5. Garry Clark Sommelier, LI~LY by Aiden Byrne
6. Tara Ozols Group Group Wine Manager, HiStory Hospitality
7. Daniele Arcangeli Head Sommelier, Ekstedt at the Yard
8. Roxane Dupuy Executive Head Sommelier, The Social Company – Row on 5
9. Sumith Alahakoon Wine Director, W Hotel – Edinburgh
10. Philipp Reinstaller Head Sommelier, Labombe by Trivet
11. Yuri Gualeni Head of Wine, Babbo
12. Valentin Mouillard Group Head Sommelier, L’Enclume & Simon Rogan Restaurants
13. Stuart Skea Group Head Sommelier, Lyla
14. Eugenio Egorov Wine Director, Six Senses
15. Kristina Gladilina Head of Wine, Lita
16. Rudina Arapi Director of Wine, London Hilton on Park Lane
17. Sam Weatherill Wine Director, Etch by Steven Edwards
18. Joanna Nerantzi Head Sommelier, Raffles London at the OWO
19. Anastasios Karakasis Head of Wine, Lilibet’s Mayfair
20. Matilda Tsappis Co-Owner, Killiecrankie House
21. Carolina Seibel Group Beverage Manager, HiStory Hospitality
22. Vanessa Stoltz Head Sommelier, Restaurant Pine
23. Charles Carron Brown Restaurant Manager & Sommelier, Aulis
24. Angelo Lorea Head of Wine, The Roof Gardens
25. Andrea Strocchio Head Sommelier, Pavyllon – Four Seasons Park Lane
26. Marcello Colletti Head Sommelier, Lilibet’s
27. Paolo Pellegrino Head of Beverage -Wine Buyer, Franco’s Restaurant
28. Milena De Waele Head Sommelier, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay
29. Fabrizio Di Pasquale Head of Wine, Studio Paskin Group
30. Rustem Mingaleev Head Sommelier, Cliveden House Hotel
31. Jiachen Lu Head Sommelier, CORD Restaurant
32. Wieteke Teppema Head of Beverage, Adam Byatt Restaurants
33. Antonio Palmarini Head of Wine & Sake, Aki
34. Roberto Zanca Sommelier, Prithvi
35. Kelvin McCabe Wine Director, Adam Handling
36. Wilem Powell Head of Beverage, BiBi Restaurant
37. Alessia Ferrarello General Manager, Alex Dilling
38. Julio Tauste Head Sommelier, Orrery
39. Derek Scaife Head Sommelier, The Grand York
40. Alexandru Dan Head Sommelier, Ocean at The Atlantic Hotel
41. Georgios Iordanidis Head of Wine, Annabel’s
42. Julien Sarrasin Head Sommelier, HIDE
43. Nikolaos Emner Head Sommelier, Coworth Park Hotel
44. Harry Cooper GM & Head Sommelier, Appalachia
45. Antonio Polise Head of Wine, LSL Capital Group
46. Giuseppe Iacona Head Sommelier, Idalia at Pilar Hall
47. Elisa Marchini Head Sommelier, Muse by Tom Aikens
48. Daniel Marzotto Head Sommelier, Sketch – Lecture Room & Library
49. Beth Bond Co-Owner & Head Sommelier, The Cottage in the Wood
50. Erazem Ocvirk Head Sommelier, The Gleneagles Hotel

Top 51 to 100

in alphabetical order

• Corentin Aucagne Head Sommelier, CORE by Clare Smyth
• Monica Bacchiocchi Head Sommelier, Wilton’s Restaurant
• Valentina Barbieri Head Sommelier, Bacchanalia
• Roman Barina Head Sommelier, Rosewood London
• Laurentiu Bulprich RM & Head Sommelier, The Old Stamp House
• Francesco Paolo Campagna Head Sommelier, The Roof Gardens
• Fabrizio Canino Head Sommelier, Carbone
• Luigi Conca Head of Wine, Corrigan Collection
• Sean Crosby Head Sommelier, Kitchen W8
• Tiago Manuel Dos Santos Pinto Hospitality Director, Carriages Group
• Tom Fahey Sommelier Chef Patron, The Terrace Rooms & Wine
• Boris Filip Head Sommelier, The Arkle at The Chester Grosvenor
• Viorel Filip Head Sommelier, Oudh 1722
• Jason Formosa Head Sommelier, Cromlix Hotel
• Christopher Frayling-Cork Head Sommelier, The Chancery Rosewood
• Francesco Gabriele Wine and Beverages Director, Iconic Hotels & Resorts
• Jake Garstang Restaurant Manager & Sommelier, Maré by Rafael Cagali
• Chris Goodale Wine Lead, ALTA
• Giuseppe Grasso Head Sommelier, Alex Dilling at Café Royal
• Jaewon Jeong Head Sommelier, Amazonico
• Bence Karpatfalvi Head Sommelier, Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms
• Maxim Kassir Director of Wine and Sake, The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental
• Oliver Kaviani Head of Drinks, JÖRO Restaurant
• Nadia Khan Head Sommelier, Frog by Adam Handling
• Gabriel Lee Head Sommelier, Latymer Restaurant
• Léonard Lievin Assistant Head Sommelier, The Ritz London
• Gonzalo Lint Assistant Head Sommelier, BiBi
• Jacopo Maroni Head Sommelier, WSH Restaurants
• Elizabeth Mellish Head Sommelier, Gleneagles Townhouse
• Fabio Monteiro Head Sommelier, 1890 Restaurant
• Matthew O’Donnell Head Sommelier, Number One at The Balmoral
• Federico Oddo Head Sommelier, Gravetye Manor
• Ovidiu Olteanu Head Sommelier & General Manager, Savoy di Roma
• Michel Paszto Head Sommelier, The Ritz
• Robert Patla Head Sommelier, Pentonbridge Inn
• Nuno Pereira Head Sommelier, Michael Caines at The Stafford
• Shashi Prakash Food & Beverage Manager, Taymouth Castle
• Ennio Puccuarelli Head Sommelier, MaNa
• Federico Quintavalle Head Sommelier, Ikoyi Restaurant
• Alessio Ragusini Head Sommelier, Humo
• Pedro Santos Head Sommelier, The Twenty-Two
• Grace Shih Head of Wine / Restaurant Manager, Restaurant St. Barts
• Magdalena Śleziak Head Sommelier, Northcote
• Mélina Soulavie Assistant Head Sommelier, Claridge’s Restaurant
• Joseph Stark GM & Beverage Director, Wild Shropshire
• Paul Stibbles Head Sommelier, Loma by Graeme Cheevers
• Kadek Swijana Head Sommelier, Wild Carrot
• Patrycja Ewa Szpiech Head of Wine, Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms
• Yin Chi Bowie Tsang Head Sommelier, Taku Mayfair
• Valerio Vallani Head Sommelier, The Fife Arms