Glasgow-born Stuart Skea is group sommelier of Lyla, Aizle, Noto and Tipo following a promotion from head sommelier of Top 100 National Restaurant, Aizle. Stuart’s in-depth wine knowledge gave him the ability to enhance the wine culture at four restaurants with differing cuisines, which has also been noticed by Sommelier Edit voting him No. 4 in the Top 100 Awards 2023, No.7 in 2024 and included in the Harpers Top 50 Sommeliers 2024. Lyla was listed at 28th and awarded the best service in the UK in the top 100 National Restaurants 2024.

Prior to this Stuart was Head Sommelier at various award-winning restaurant throughout his 15-year wine career to date. Starting out as sommelier at Prestonfield House in Edinburgh learning from the immense wine list that had classics from around the world and lots of back vintages.  Stuart also made his mark on Norn, 21212 Restaurant with Rooms before being part of the opening team at Fhior and navigating the pandemic. From introducing wine parings to overseeing the expansion and developments of wine lists and creating cross-training programs for staff, Stuart has acquired a wealth of experience. 

Stuart’s priority when developing a list is to look for wines that have balance, freshness, and drinkability alongside over-delivering on value for money, which Stuart says is available at every price point. Most of all, Stuart’s ethos is to look for wines that have ‘a sense of place’ – a set of circumstances that are a great representation of their particular style and for Stuart this is mostly focused on Europe with small, artisanal producers.  

On creating different wine lists throughout the group, Stuart starts with the food and atmosphere of each restaurant. The list at Lyla & Aizle constantly changes and evolves with the seasons with a good helping of natural wines and grower Champagnes. The vibrancy and eclectic nature of Michelin-bib Noto is reflected in the drinks offering with new world influence and a selection of Sake by the glass.  At the Michelin-bib Tipo, Stuart wanted to make the list short and fun. With a strong Italian and natural focus of the restaurant Stuart says the emphasis is on drinkability and food friendliness.

Alongside being voted number 4 in the Top 100 Sommelier Awards 2023 curated by Sommelier Edit, other awards include Harpers Best 25 Sommelier of the UK 2022 and Edinburgh’s Sommelier of the Year 2019.  As a certified Court of Master Sommelier, Stuart passed both WSET Level 2 and 3 Advanced Diplomas with distinction and SVQ Level 3 Hospitality Supervision.