Champagne Louis Roederer Top 100 Sommeliers New Zealand results 2025
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The ranking invites nominations from sommeliers and their hospitality peers from across the country. Pexels
Leah Kirkland, group beverage director of the Emett Group, is the top ranking New Zealand sommelier in 2025, as judged by the Champagne Louis Roederer Top 100 Sommeliers New Zealand.
Chair of judges Cameron Douglas MS and Sommelier Edit announced their rankings for the 2025 inaugural edition of this event in New Zealand on August 26 in Auckland.
This is the first time wine service professionals working in restaurants have been ranked in Aotearoa.“Leah is an outstanding wine and beverage professional, a sommelier with mana, influence, authority and efficacy,” Douglas commented.
The New Zealand ranking follows the project’s launch in the UK in 2023. The competition has also been held in Spain and there are plans to expand it to Australia, Portugal and Poland next year.
This is the first time wine service professionals working in restaurants have been ranked in Aotearoa. The aim is to highlight outstanding wine service and food pairing skills of the very best sommeliers and wine wait staff in the country. Sommelier Edit plans to run this ranking annually, celebrating the ‘art and savoir faire’ of those professionals who epitomise service in wine and beverages. Ranked sommeliers receive a certificate and a lapel pin.
According to Sommelier Edit:
“Over 50% of the ranked sommeliers are based outside the Auckland region, and 40% are women, making this the most democratic and inclusive listing of wine service professionals across Aotearoa”.
Looking at the top 20 rankings, we can see women occupy four of the positions.
The ranking invites nominations from sommeliers and their hospitality peers from across the country. 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 assess and analyse each sommelier’s professional successes. The four main considerations were: amount of time spent on the floor, day-to-day buying, management and training responsibilities; experience and accolades; as well as education (presumably qualifications).
Leah Kirkland is the top-ranked New Zealand sommelier in 2025. Onslow Facebook
For 2025, chair judge Cameron Douglas was supported by two other judges; Candice Chow (Raymond Chan Reviews) and Yvonne Lorkin (WineFriend), who both run highly successful wine businesses as communicators, writers and speakers. Special awards were also presented to those sommeliers in New Zealand who have gone above and beyond in the promotion of this aspirational profession and in the pursuit of excellence during their careers:
2025 Top 100 Sommelier Legend Award sponsored by Barton & Guestier: Stephen Morris, Yu Group
2025 Top 100 Sommelier Inspiration Award sponsored by Grahams Port: Suraj GC, Park Hyatt, Auckland
Top 5 Female Sommeliers: Nora Blackburne, Embra; Liz Buttimore, Arbour, Marlborough; Jacqueline Jubel, No 7 Balmac; Larissa Muller, Palate; and Katie Woodhead, Cellar 495
Top 5 Ones to Watch sponsored by Craggy Range: Giulio Barducci, Toast & Oak; Ben Carmine, Paris Butter; Joseph Costello, The Wine Room; Samira Kakh, Normanby; and Gary Pluck, 11 Woodward Street
Top 5 Young Sommeliers sponsored by Negociants: Victoria Birsen, Cellar 495; Jieuxe-Snow He, The Northern Club; Alexa Soriano, Metita Sky City; Michael Tully, The Gables; and Katharina Ziehe, Onslow
You can view the full Champagne Louis Roederer Top 100 Sommeliers New Zealand 2025 ranking at the Sommelier Edit website.