Harpers is delighted to reveal our newly expanded Top 50 Sommeliers list, celebrating the best in this dynamic and hugely important part of the hospitality and drinks world. Special congratulations go to Gareth Ferreira MS, head sommelier and beverage director at Core by Clare Smyth, who tops an incredible round up of talent.
Nominated by our readers and judged by contemporaries in the wider drinks trade, these are the professionals that have shone, turning those judges' heads, impressing with their approach in delivering an engaging all-round drinks experience. And such has been the calibre and diversity of reader nominations and subsequent entries this year, that we have also expanded from the preceding year’s Top 25 to this Top 50, to better reflect the wealth of talent in the UK somm world.
Our Top 50 Sommelier list offers something a little different from other competitions too. From our long list of nominees, it judges sommeliers, their lists and the broader offer around the drinks’ selection, with a clear emphasis on suitability for the style of establishment and expectation of the clientele. Thus, a sommelier presiding over the beverage programme and team at a high-end hotel and/or three-star restaurant may sit adjacent to a solo somm from a casual bistro with a concise list, with all points between deemed equally worthy of consideration. This, we believe, truly reflects the talent at work in our amazingly diverse restaurant world.
And on that note, the Harpers team would like to offer a huge congratulations to all who made the cut for our Top 50 Sommeliers 2024. It’s a list packed with shining talent in one the most exciting and sophisticated hospitality scenes in the world. So, well done all!
For the full results, click here.
Harpers would like to thank Wines of Roussillon and Laurent-Perrier UK, our sponsors for Top 50 Sommeliers 2024, which have also provided the following prizes for all who made the cut this year:
Wines of Roussillon will forward a special bottle from the region to all who made our Top 50.
Laurent-Perrier will send out a bottle each to the top 10 of Grand Siècle Iteration N°26, with a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Héritage going to the top 11-50.