Seamus Williams-Sharkey

2019 profile

Head sommelier – The Ledbury

Seamus Williams-Sharkey has chalked up an impressive CV, made all the more remarkable given he was only born in 1991. Growing up in the Midlands, he began his career in hospitality at The Dormy House in the Cotswolds aged 19, where he began studying for his first WSET qualifications. From there he joined The Nut Tree Inn in Oxfordshire as a sommelier, working under Frank Embleton for the first six months, from whom he learned a great deal. To gain further experience, Williams-Sharkey wrote to every then two- and three-starred Michelin restaurant in the country to ask if he could work with them free of charge for a two-week stage.

Thanks to his persistence and a contact at Bibendum Wines, he managed to gain stints at Gordon Ramsay’s Hospital Road, Sat Bains’ eponymous restaurant in Nottingham, London’s The Ledbury and the Hand and Flowers under Tom Kerridge. In 2013, at 22, he moved to Hampton Manor to become restaurant manager and head sommelier. Before he started at The Ledbury, Williams-Sharkey spent a year as head sommelier at Tom Sellers’ Michelin-starred Restaurant Story. There he was responsible for quirky projects, such as digestif-and-chocolate pairings featured on a ‘Bedtime Story’ menu.

Among the pairings were: Barsol’s Mosto Verde Quebranta Peruvian Pisco with Akesson’s Ambolikapiky plantation 100%-cocoa from Madagascar; and Ilegal Mezcal Reposado from Mexico with Mast Brothers 75% cocoa from Papua New Guinea. Now firmly ensconced at Brett Graham’s two Michelin-starred The Ledbury, where he has spent the past three years, he is noted for his passion, breadth of knowledge and desire to exceed guests’ expectations. Williams-Sharkey presides over an extensive and impressive 40-page wine list that includes Vin Jaune from the Jura, biodynamic Bordeaux (Château Falfas) and a healthy smattering of Australian wines following a trip there in 2017.

The Ledbury itself has been buying in and storing wine over the past 10 years, allowing it to pull out older vintages. This includes the wines of Domaine Didier Dagueneau in the Loire, Burgundy’s Domaine Coche-Dury and Vouvray’s Domaine Huët. Its wine list is ranked 23rd overall by Wine List Confidential, and ninth overall in terms of service – a testament to William-Sharkey’s talents as a sommelier.


Leave your reply

Most Recent Stories

Spending on drinks and restaurants in the UK has shot up 57% since 2020

Brits continue to spend big in restaurants and bars despite higher costs, according to research by UK digital payment provider takepayments.

Five of London's best Irish pubs

Irish pubs are for all year round, not just St. Patrick's Day. WLC rounds up five of London's best.

WLC recommends: Sessions Arts Club, Clerkenwell

Douglas Blyde heads to Clerkenwell to visit chef Florence Knight's Sessions Arts Club. There, he finds food to match the captivating interior, and a largely Italian wine list from head of wine Molly Pepper Steemson that focuses on "less breadth, more depth". Taken from the 2022 Wine List Confidential guide.

Developers ordered to rebuild pub after demolishing it

The developers behind the illegal demolition of Lancashire's Punch Bowl Inn two years ago have been ordered by a court to rebuild the historic pub brick by brick.

Martell announces Alexandre Mazzia collaboration

Cognac brand Martell, part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio, has announced a four year collaboration with Alexandre Mazzia, chef at the three-Michelin-starred AM in Marseille.

Most Recent Stories

Spending on drinks and restaurants in the UK has shot up 57% since 2020

Brits continue to spend big in restaurants and bars despite higher costs, according to research by UK digital payment provider takepayments.

Five of London's best Irish pubs

Irish pubs are for all year round, not just St. Patrick's Day. WLC rounds up five of London's best.

WLC recommends: Sessions Arts Club, Clerkenwell

Douglas Blyde heads to Clerkenwell to visit chef Florence Knight's Sessions Arts Club. There, he finds food to match the captivating interior, and a largely Italian wine list from head of wine Molly Pepper Steemson that focuses on "less breadth, more depth". Taken from the 2022 Wine List Confidential guide.

Developers ordered to rebuild pub after demolishing it

The developers behind the illegal demolition of Lancashire's Punch Bowl Inn two years ago have been ordered by a court to rebuild the historic pub brick by brick.

Martell announces Alexandre Mazzia collaboration

Cognac brand Martell, part of the Pernod Ricard portfolio, has announced a four year collaboration with Alexandre Mazzia, chef at the three-Michelin-starred AM in Marseille.