HOW TO HIRE · PERSONAL & LIFESTYLE

How to hire a sommelier in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to sommeliers. If they sell you the wine, alcohol licensing applies. Here is what to check, ask and agree.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a sommelier in five steps

  1. Decide who supplies the wineYou buy it and the sommelier hosts, or the sommelier sells it to you.
  2. If they sell it, ask about the licenceTemporary Event Notice, occasional licence or licensed premises.
  3. Agree the formatTasting, food pairing, or service through a dinner.
  4. Agree numbers and glasswareGuests, pours per wine, glasses — hired or yours.
  5. Get the fee and VAT in writingFee, wine and glass hire as separate lines.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

Hosting a tasting or pairing wine is not a licensed role in any UK nation, and sommeliers have no public register. The legal question is the alcohol, not the sommelier.

Ask who supplies the wine, then use the licensing check below.

Alcohol: Temporary Event Notice or occasional licence

If the sommelier sells you alcohol at a place without a licence, in England and Wales that needs a Temporary Event Notice under the Licensing Act 2003 (under 500 people, at least 10 clear working days' notice, £21). In Scotland the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 needs an occasional licence from the Licensing Board; in Northern Ireland liquor licences come from the County Court. Wine you buy yourself and they serve is a different matter.

If they supply the drink, ask who is giving the notice or holds the licence. gov.uk →

Public liability insurance

No register sets insurance for a sommelier. Venues often require public liability cover from event suppliers.

Ask the venue what it needs, then ask the sommelier for the certificate.

Trader status and VAT

Your Consumer Rights Act 2015 rights apply when the sommelier is trading as a business. VAT at 20% applies to the fee if they are VAT-registered.

Ask whether VAT is included in the fee.

VAT

A sommelier's fee for an event or tasting is standard-rated at 20%. A sommelier or events business above the £90,000 threshold must register and show VAT as its own line on the fee.

Ask the sommelier for a VAT number and for the VAT shown apart from the fee. gov.uk →

“Will you sell us the wine, or do we buy it?”

A good answer: A clear model. If the sommelier sells it, how the sale is licensed.

“If you sell the wine here, who is giving the Temporary Event Notice (or holds the licence)?”

A good answer: A name and a date the notice was given, or the licence details.

“What format suits our evening — tasting, pairing, or service?”

A good answer: A sommelier recommendation tied to your guests and the food.

“How many wines and pours per guest will the sommelier plan?”

A good answer: Numbers, and how they keep the pours measured.

“Does the sommelier supply glassware?”

A good answer: A count, hired or yours, and who washes them.

“Does the sommelier carry public liability insurance?”

A good answer: Yes, with a certificate if the venue asks.

“What is your cancellation policy?”

A good answer: Clear terms, including for wine already bought.

Getting the quote right

  • The sommelier's fee and the hours
  • Wine list and prices if they supply it
  • Glassware hire and washing
  • Licensing arrangements if they sell alcohol
  • Travel and set-up
  • Who actually attends the event: the sommelier you booked, or a stand-in or extra pourers, and whether those are employed or subcontracted
  • The sommelier's VAT number, with VAT apart from the fee, the glassware and any wine

Walk away if

  • Selling wine at your home with no notice or licence
  • No wine list or prices before the event
  • Unmeasured pours
  • No insurance where the venue requires it
  • Fee and wine mixed into one total
  • No cancellation terms
LOW
£200
TYPICAL
£200
HIGH
£400

What a sommelier costs: £200–£400 per event

Sommeliers charge a fee per event or tasting, with wine, glassware hire and VAT usually added as separate lines. Sommelier price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Sommeliers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefGuests, format, food and budget.
  2. SelectionWines chosen and, if sold, licensing arranged.
  3. Set-upGlasses, temperatures, order of service.
  4. HostingPours, notes and guidance through the evening.
  5. CloseLeftover wine, glassware and the bill.

Pairing
Matching wines to dishes.
Flight
A set of wines tasted side by side.
Pour
The measure served per tasting.
TEN
Temporary Event Notice (England and Wales).
Occasional licence
Scotland's permission for alcohol outside licensed premises.
Corked
A wine spoiled by a faulty cork.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check the billFee, wine and glassware against the quote.
Keep the wine list and notesUseful for buying again.
Return or check glasswareCounted and returned as agreed.
Leave feedbackWrite about the tasting or the wine service honestly — punctuality, care, the result. If it was under four stars, the make-it-right step gives them a chance to fix it first.

STEP 1First, a written noteGive the sommelier the details of the event and a reasonable date to respond. Section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 implies reasonable care and skill into the contract, and sections 55 and 56 give you a repeat or a reduction.
STEP 2The make-it-right stepA review under four stars for a sommelier starts with a choice: send it to them first to fix, with us following it through, then publish the review.
STEP 3Advice and Trading StandardsIf the sommelier ignores you about the event, call Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland — no regulator covers this work, but they can involve Trading Standards.
STEP 4If money is still owedYou can take the sommelier to the small claims route — the county court small claims track up to £10,000 in England and Wales, simple procedure in the sheriff court up to £5,000 in Scotland, and the small claims court up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a sommelier: questions people ask

Not to host. If the sommelier sells alcohol at an unlicensed place, a Temporary Event Notice (England and Wales), an occasional licence (Scotland) or a licence (Northern Ireland) is needed.

Yes. Then the sommelier's fee is for hosting and service.

At 20% if they are VAT-registered.

£200 to £400 an event, typically around £200. Length, guests and whether wine is supplied make the difference. Fees for tastings and dinner service are in the sommelier price guide; enter your town above for sommeliers near you.

Not as of right, usually. A tasting or wine service on a set date is a leisure or catering service, which regulation 28(1)(h) of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 excludes from the 14-day cancellation right; the written terms, including for wine already bought, decide.

Raise it in writing. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires reasonable care and skill.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in personal & lifestyle

How to hire: Dinner Party ChefHow to hire: Private ChefHow to hire: Personal ChefHow to hire: Concierge ServiceHow to hire: Travel PlannerHow to hire: Tour GuideHow to hire: Meal Prep ServiceHow to hire: House ManagerAll 701 hiring guides →

Sommeliers near you

Sommeliers in LondonSommeliers in ManchesterSommeliers in BirminghamSommeliers in GlasgowSommeliers in BelfastAll sommeliers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Temporary Events Notice
  2. gov.scot — Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 guidance: occasional licences
  3. nidirect — selling alcohol in licensed premises and registered clubs
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. gov.uk — VAT registration threshold
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register