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Meet the Perthshire sommelier who is one of the leading wine experts in the country

Meet the Perthshire sommelier who is one of the leading wine experts in the country

Matilda Tsappis, co-owner and head sommelier at Killiecrankie House in Perthshire, has been ranked number 20 in this year’s Taylor’s Port UK Top 100 Sommeliers List, her third consecutive year on the list.

It marks a steady rise for Tsappis, who debuted at number 48 in 2024 and climbed to 36 last year before jumping a further 16 places in the fourth edition of the list, announced at a ceremony at The Dorchester in London on 22 June.

Candidates for the list are nominated by industry peers, fellow sommeliers and diners, then assessed by an expert panel on career achievements, education, experience, day-to-day responsibilities and competition performance. This year’s edition saw the UK’s highest-ranked sommelier being female, with women accounting for nearly half of the Top 50.

Tsappis said, “It’s incredibly rewarding to see the progress I’ve made over the past three years and to be recognised alongside so many talented sommeliers from across the UK. This profession demands constant curiosity and a commitment to learning, not only about wine but also about the wider world of drinks and hospitality. To be ranked in the Top 20 is a real honour, and I’m especially proud to represent Scotland on a national stage while helping showcase the exceptional food, drink and hospitality experiences we have here.”

Killiecrankie House is a Michelin-starred restaurant with rooms set within four acres of gardens in Highland Perthshire. It stands in the Cairngorms National Park, around ten minutes north of Pitlochry, close to the wooded Pass of Killiecrankie and the River Garry.

The whitewashed Victorian house was built in 1840 as a private country residence for a local church minister. It was converted into a hotel in 1939 and operated for decades as the Killiecrankie Hotel. Henrietta Fergusson took over the property in 2007 and it became known for its country-house hospitality and gardens. Husband-and-wife team Tom and Matilda Tsappis later took charge and transformed it into a small, food-led destination combining a fine-dining restaurant with luxury accommodation.

Food is at the heart of the experience. Killiecrankie House serves a set tasting menu inspired in equal measure by Japanese cuisine and Scottish food traditions. The kitchen uses produce from Scotland’s seas and woodlands, along with fruit, vegetables and herbs grown in its own garden. There is no à la carte option, and the full dinner can extend to as many as 20 small servings over approximately three to three-and-a-half hours. Guests can eat in the dining room or at a chef’s counter positioned beside the kitchen pass.

There are five bedrooms, including a larger Master Suite. Every room has a four-poster super-king bed, a freestanding bath and a walk-in shower. Overnight stays are offered to restaurant guests from Thursday to Saturday and include the tasting-menu dinner and a gourmet breakfast the following morning. The property also contains an eight-seat Art Deco cocktail bar serving house cocktails, homemade liqueurs, local beer, wine and whisky. Guests can book a guided tasting featuring five Scottish whiskies, while the chef’s-counter overnight package combines the Master Suite with dinner served directly by the chefs.

Killiecrankie House received its first Michelin star in the 2026 Michelin Guide, which classifies it as offering high-quality cooking. Its other recent honours include Restaurant of the Year in the fine-dining category at the 2025 SLTN Awards and Best Eating Experience for Central and East Scotland at the 2025 Scottish Thistle Awards. The restaurant was also named Restaurant of the Year at the 2024 Scottish Excellence Awards, while Tom Tsappis won the Restaurant Chef Award at the 2024 Craft Guild of Chefs Awards.