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Maria Boumpa to represent UK at ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026

18 September 2025 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Maria Boumpa, wine director and restaurant manager at two-Michelin-starred Da Terra, Bethnal Green, has been picked to represent the UK at the ASI Best Sommelier of the World 2026, in Lisbon, next October.

Boumpa, who is currently IWSC UK sommelier of the year, was chosen at a selection event at Trivet Restaurant, London Bridge, on Monday 15 September.

At the event, she excelled across written, oral and practical tests, designed by the UK Sommelier Association’s (UKSA) head of technical committee, Romain Bourger.

Boumpa passed the Advanced Court of Master Sommeliers exam in 2024, and is currently completing the WSET Diploma.

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Award-winning

In July, Boumpa was crowned UK Sommelier of the Year 2025, after beating Dion Wai and Joanna Nerantzi in the final round.

UKSA is particularly proud that the UK will be represented by a female sommelier, with Maria standing out among the remarkable group of women who were half of the Top 10 in this year’s IWSC UK Sommelier of the Year.

“We are thrilled to support Maria on this journey,” said UKSA President, Nicolas Clerc MS. “She is an outstanding ambassador for the UK. ”Earlier this year, db visited Boumpa’s stomping ground, Da Terra, and found the somm to “curate wine with the precision of an architect”, with a “daring and precise” wine list that sheds light on more than 20 Champagne producers.

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